Heart of Lost Light
by Pete the Rock
Summary: This is the sequel to Land of No Color. The full summary is inside. Romances: T.K./Misty, Ash/Kari, Ken/Yolei. Please R&R as Ash meets the rest of the Digidestined...in New York.
1. Quitless Nightmare

Story Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Digimon.

Chapter Disclaimer: I also do not own "Nobody's Listening." Linkin Park does. Not only am I a fan of Linkin Park, I think this song felt best for the situation Ash is in.

Summary: This is the sequel to the Land of No Color. Over a year and a half after the warriors protected the world of rainbows, Ash returns to Pallet Town, but his arm is tattooed in dark markings, and suffers from reoccurring nightmares. It isn't until, on his way to the Sinnoh region, Ash learns a horrifying truth, only met worse, by going to RainBellian...and seeing the rest of the group.

A/N: This chapter is among Ash's Point of View.

_**Heart of Lost Light**_

_Chapter 1: Quit Less Nightmare_

* * *

**Yo, peep the style and the kids checking for it.  
The number one question is, how could you ignore it?  
We drop right back in the cut, over basement tracks;  
With raps, that got you backing this up like,  
Rewind that! We're just rolling with the rhythm,  
Rise from the ashes of stylistic division,  
With these non-stop lyrics of life living,  
Not to be forgotten, but still unforgiven,  
But, in the meantime, there are those, who wanna talk this and that,  
So I suppose, that it gets to a point where feelings gotta get hurt,  
And get dirty with the people spreading the dirt,  
it goes...**

**(Tried to give you warning, but everyone ignores me!)  
Told you everything, loud and clear,  
(But nobody's listening!)**

**(Called to you, so clearly, but you don't want to hear me!)  
Told you everything, loud and clear  
(But nobody's listening!)**

**I got a heart full of pain, head full of stress,  
handful of anger, held in my chest,  
And everything left's a waste of time;  
I hate my rhymes, but hate everyone else's more;  
I'm riding on the back of this pressure;  
Guessing that it's better, I can't keep myself together,  
Because all of this stress gave me something to write on;  
The pain gave me something, I could set my sights on,  
Never forget the blood, sweat, and tears,  
The uphill struggle, over years, the fear and,  
Trash talking, and the people, it was too,  
And the people, that started it, just like you!**

**(Tried to give you warning, but everyone ignores me!)  
Told you everything, loud and clear,  
(But nobody's listening!)**

**(Called to you, so clearly, but you don't want to hear me!)  
Told you everything, loud and clear  
(But nobody's listening!)**

**I got a heart full of pain, head full of stress,  
hand full of anger, held in my chest,  
Uphill struggle,  
Blood, sweat, and tears,  
Nothing to gain,  
Everything to fear.**

**Heart full of pain, head full of stress,  
hand full of anger, held in my chest,  
Uphill struggle,  
Blood, sweat, and tears,  
Nothing to gain,  
Everything to fear.**

**Heart full of pain...**

**(Tried to give you warning, but everyone ignores me!)  
Told you everything, loud and clear,  
(But nobody's listening!)**

**(Called to you, so clearly, but you don't want to hear me!)  
Told you everything, loud and clear  
(But nobody's listening!)**

**I got a heart full of pain, head full of stress;  
(Nobody's listening...)  
hand full of anger, held in my chest;  
(Nobody's listening...)  
Uphill struggle,  
Blood, sweat, and tears;  
(Nobody's listening...)  
Nothing to gain,  
Everything to fear,  
(Nobody's listening...)**

**Coming at you from every side!**

* * *

_(Ash's POV)_

_I was running...  
I was running with people at my side...  
I was running down a straight path...  
I was running in an unfamiliar world...  
I was running._

_"Ash, are you sure, this is where she is?" questioned a boy with a spiky brunette afro. He was wearing a light jacket, goggles, and shorts. I couldn't tell what colors, the clothes were, because my view was all black and white. Who was "she" that he was referring to, and how did he know my name? Somehow, I knew who they were, even "her." However, someone spoke up for me._

_"This is where she said, she was," replied a tall teen with a wild spiky hairdo. He was wearing a standard t-shirt and shorts. So, "she" was here._

_"Why, of all places, here?" complained another teen. He had a standard young man's hairstyle, and wore, what was, a matching shirt/pants pair. What did he have, against this land? We came upon the edge of a cliff. Everyone else stopped, but I jumped off. I don't know why, but I did. I landed on a soft beach, in front of something. I couldn't describe it, because it was covered in a heavy black aura._

_"Be careful, Ash," shouted a female teen in glasses. She was wearing a skimpy blouse, and a long skirt. I knew her, since I was by her side, sometime ago. That's when, the thing launched, what appeared to be, a red spear, right at me. I was struck. Then, my sight turned red...blood red._

* * *

_  
(Reality)_

I sprung from my bed, with a yelp, and gasping for air. I yelped so loud, it woke my yellow mouse up. My mouse had red circled cheeks, two brown streaks on its back, and had a lightning-shaped tail. It turned to my direction, but I was too frightened by my nightmare to realize it.

("Ash, you okay?") it squeaked. I was too focused about the nightmare, I barely responded to its call.

"I had it, again, Pikachu," I replied. Yes, I had it, again. When I got out of bed, I saw what time it was: 6:12 A.M. I woke up early. Actually, I woke up a couple of times, overnight. That nightmare...I got to my desk, and opened a green notebook. I began to write my feelings, about the occurrence.

JULY 16-

IT'S EARLY IN THE DAY, BUT FOR THE PAST WEEK, THAT SAME NIGHTMARE HAS ROBBED ME OF MY SLEEP. EVEN MORE, THE TATTOO, ON MY ARM, REACTED TO THE NIGHTMARE. GUESS, THIS IS WHAT I GET, FOR OPENING THAT ANCIENT SPHERE, RELEASING THAT SPIRIT OF THE EVIL KING, IN BRANDON'S BATTLE.

I competed in the Battle Frontier, and beat all seven of the Brains. Afterwords, we all had split up, in different directions. Brock, my friend and Pokémon breeder-in-training, had gone home to Pewter City, to check up on his family. May had gone out to the Johto region, since she heard about a Pokémon contest, held there. Max, May's brother, and Sarin, who we met in a place called RainBellian, had gone back to Petalburg City, where Max would try to become a trainer, himself. I came home to Pallet Town, where those nightmares began. On my left arm, were black markings. There were numerous symbols on my arm, and I couldn't figure out what they were. I grabbed a white, skin-hugging sleeve, and wrapped it around my arm. I, then, exited my room, since I smelt the cooking of scrambled eggs. I walked downstairs to where I saw a grown brunette woman in a pink shirt and green skirt. That would be my mother. She turned to my direction, in a sense that she knew I was coming to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Ash," she greeted. "Still having nightmares?" Mothers have a parental sense, with children, that tell them if their kids are troubled. It's probably why I didn't resist her.

"That_same_ one," I groaned. Mom became worried. Ever since my first night, back from my Battle Frontier journey, I've been having that same dream. It was apparent. When I got a chore done, I tried to get some extra sleep. However, that nightmare flared up, every time. It was that nightmare, that got Mom curious.

"Same one?" I wasn't sure about why I was getting this bad dream...until, something clicked in my head, like I was having this repeating nightmare for a reason.

"Well, now that I think about it, maybe, it's more than a reoccurring nightmare. It's more like, some kind of message." A message, like something that I should take care of...but, it was still so foggy, like on the Kiri Kiri Mountains. Mom was ready to chew her fingernails, when I bonded "nightmare" with "message" in the same issue.

"That makes me, even more, worried." Could you blame her? "What sort of message is it?" I had to think back to when I had the nightmare, again. Let's see...

"Something about a dark world...being in a group...looking for 'her'..." Her? Who was I trying to remember? Mom wanted to know.

"Who's 'her'?" Was it someone I knew? Someone I was going to meet? Someone I had to save or face?

"I don't know. It doesn't help much, since she doesn't appear in my dream. Then, fighting a dark figure, and-"

"If it involves you dying, don't mention it." She was afraid to see me dead.

"OK, OK, I'll be quiet!" She didn't like the word, dead. She's been a very caring mother to me. However, she freaked a little for her outburst.

"I-I'm sorry. You're my world, and I hate to see you, lose your life over someone you might or might not know." Like I said..._very_ caring. In a sense, she wanted me to become a normal trainer: capture wild Pokémon, train them to be strong, battle other trainers, win badges, that much. Not risking my life, day by day, protecting Pikachu and my friends. However...

"Even if it's you?"

"Even if it's me. Ash, I've known that you tend to throw caution away, trying to save everyone. Why I raised you, to be so reckless, is something that I, now, regret. Next thing, I'll learn, is that your child behaves like you." Gulp! Can't breathe! Choking on milk! Ironic, right? Choking on liquid? Mom tried to get me to breathe, by patting me in the back. It worked. It had taken me a few minutes to get my air back...before I wanted to yell at Mom.

"Mom!" She realized that it was bad timing. I knew it, when she started scratching the back of her head.

"Sorry, Ash!" I got back to her, mentioning children. Why would she bring that up?

"By the way, why did you mention about me, having kids? It's like, you knew, I have a girlfriend." Did I have a girlfriend? Wait...that's right! There was a girl that I loved. Her name was Hikari Kamiya, but I called her Kari. She was from a different world, where she's a Digidestined. Digidestined are human protectors of a digital world, inhabited by creatures, known as Digimon. Digimon are different than Pokémon. For starters, all the Digimon can talk like us humans, even though, they claim that it's their own language. I knew of a handful of Pokémon that could speak human, like Team Rocket's Meowth. Of course, Kari's Digimon was, to say lightly, Meowth's counterpart, named Gatomon. Gatomon had an ability to turn into an angel, or a winged sphinx, or even a dragon. But, how did Mom know about me, having a girlfriend?

"Well, when you came home from Hoenn, I saw that whistle, around your neck. I only know that physical education teachers keep their whistles, before handing them off to their next teacher in line, and that whistles in sporting events, were returned to those organizers, after each event. So, I started to get suspicious, about the one, you had." Don't you hate it, when mothers get into your personal lives? I mean, if you were making out with your boy/girlfriend, and your parent(s) entered the room, doesn't it really spoil the moment? Anyway...

"Well, I do have a special someone, but I don't know if we'll see each other again." When she heard that, it was like she felt a little relieved, like she had some extra support. That's when she thought back to my nightmare.

"I have a feeling, that you might be right about that dream, you keep having." Then, she had an idea. "Tell you what, after you eat breakfast, see if Prof. Oak can let you use that dream machine, he recently invented for the Pokémon." A dream machine? How is a dream machine suppose to help my nightmare?

"I don't know. It sounds like it's a device for mental therapy." Then again, I never stay in town for long. I had recently heard of a Pokémon league in the Sinnoh region, north of Kanto. I was wanting to go, but the next ferry for Sinnoh wouldn't be on the Ceruliean Port for a couple of weeks. What better to spend a couple of weeks, than to rest up. Still, Mom thought that the machine would help me.

"What his machine does, is that it records the dreams from the sub-conscious mind, and uploads them on a video disk. Prof. Oak studies the dreams, which conducts the Pokémon's behavior. I think, it'll record your nightmare, so that we could see, what that 'message' is about." Take a dream from your head, and upload it to a disk? Sounds interesting. If I could see my nightmare, I could see who those people were, and who was 'she,' that was mentioned. Could it be, her? After I ate breakfast, Pikachu and I strolled to Prof. Oak's lab. His house was built like a mini-castle, with windmills to the side. Inside a room, it was a computer geek's heaven. All sorts of computers and other technical stuff. Inside, there was a semi-spiky brunette hair, in a white scientist coat. I knew him, because, one time, he was my rival. He was Gary, grandson of Prof. Oak. The other one had black hair, like I did. He wore a red headband, and wore a green t-shirt, and orange shorts. That would be Tracy, a Pokémon watcher.

"We heard from Mrs. Ketchum, that you've been going through some tough dreams, Ash," Tracy motioned. So, Mom informed them of my situation. Although, I didn't like the fact that Mom told them about my sleeping troubles, I do believe that they could help excavate that nightmare and store it on a device.

"Fortunately, we did test the Sub-Pokévision, grandpa made, on him," Gary added with confidence. He held a circular disk in the air. So that's the video disk, Mom mentioned. "His dream was being surrounded in his own poetry. I believe, you would be bored, so I won't show you that." Okay, well, that was a little extra, but I understood that if Prof. Oak was okay from a human test, then I shouldn't be so worried about it.

"How long, will it take for the Sub-Pokévision to warm up?" I asked. Hearing that, Tracy and Gary knew that I wanted to get this done. If what I saw was, in fact, that I knew who some of those people were, then I could try to understand what was going on.

"Give us a couple of minutes." They wanted to prepare the invention. "The only thing, I want you to do, is get your sweat shirt and sleeve off." Wait...they wanted me to remove my sleeve? "That way, the machine will get a clear image, as it scans mind/body relationship." I guess I have no choice. As they turned the machine on, I removed my blue sweat shirt and my sleeve, covering that mark. When I put my sweat shirt down, I felt a little bump. What was it? I dug into a pocket, and pull out a pill. The pill had a 'Z' imprint on it. Wait a second...was this?

"It's the insomnia-proof pill." I remember. I was in RainBellian when I had that one restless night. The innkeeper gave the pill to me, so that I could sleep easier. I think, I'll have that nightmare, again, but I won't be able to wake up like before. After the machine was ready to be used, I was called back. Tracy saw the mark, wondering what it was.

"Dude, where'd you get that cool tattoo?" he questioned. I wanted to say that it appeared out of thin air, but they wouldn't believe me.

"Never mind that, Tracy." As I got onto the bed of the device, I took the pill and swallowed it. I waited for the pill to take effect. That's when Gary gave me a helmet, which was covered in all sorts of wires and switches, and put it over my head. I laid down, in which my eyes were getting heavy. The pill must be working. Tracy wrapped me in a blanket, as Pikachu watched. Then, I blacked out...

When I woke back up, I saw Tracy and Gary, again. But, they were watching a monitor, probably, watching my dream. I sat up, which drew Tracy's attention. He looked surprised to see me up. Why? "This nightmare is amazing," he roared. He and Gary must've been reviewing the nightmare. "I may be a Pokémon watcher, but I would pay thousands for this." Thousands of dollars, for a small nightmare? Gary made printouts, but of what? I saw him doing that, with Tracy, providing backup. "He's getting some printouts of the dream, including some creatures, that I've never seen. I don't believe, they're even Pokémon." Wait...creatures, not Pokémon? I only know of another type of creatures, but if it was, what I think it was, I could help the boys.

"Are the pictures ready?" I asked Gary. The last paper came out of the printer, so all the photos had to be done, by now. After getting them lined up, Gary presented them to me.

"I have a feeling that you have an idea of who these people and creatures are," he hypothesized as he handed the photos to me. The first photo was the spiky afro teen. Never met him before, so I put that to the side. Photo two was a small boy, who looked like he was mad at the world. His hair was so short, it looked like a perfectly mowed lawn. No clue on who he was either, so I put him with the first. The third photo was a lighter haired teen with a...T.K.? That fisherman's hat was dead giveaway. That was Takeru Ishida, or T.K. for short. I remember him, because he was with me and Misty, when we traveled to RainBellian.

"This one, no doubt." Gary believed that I knew some of these people, and I proved it. I placed it away from the first pile. The next photo, was a taller teen, looking like a groomed schoolboy. This one didn't ring any bells. Onto the next photo. This one was a girl with long hair, and wearing a gown-like skirt, and glasses. Oh, yeah, it's Yolei Inoue. She was a support member, who joined me in the bath house at an abandoned inn. Don't worry, all that was exchanged were advices, not bodily fluids. I placed that over T.K.'s mugshot. The next pic was another female, with shorter hair, but was taller. She wore a grayish blouse and jeans. Like I said, the nightmare was without color. However, something in my mind was saying that I knew her, but how? That's when I remembered T.K.'s photo. She looked like it was a girl named Sora. If this was Sora, and the message was true, I had a thought that I might see her. I placed that in a new pile. The last photo was the tall teen with a wild spiky hairdo. If I remembered that photo, T.K. recognized him as Tai, Kari's older brother. Again, I placed that on suspected Sora photo. Three piles were visible: Those I knew, those I heard about, and those that were new to me. Tracy picked up the "heard about" pile, while Gary grabbed the "known" pile. Guess what that left me with? That "new" pile. There was a reason, Tracy and Gary were suspicious of me, and the photos.

"I take it, you've known these two?" Gary asked with a snarl.

"I do, because I've met them, sometime ago." There was no way, I could lie to an ex-rival, who's holding the photos of T.K. and Yolei. Gary peered at Tracy, holding the mugshots of Tai and Sora. I had to tell them, the story from over a year and a half, ago. "When Misty visited me, over near the Mirage Kingdom, we were transported to a mysterious place called RainBellian. That's where we met the two, you're holding Gary, and two others. During the adventure, there, the boy told me of their friends, and called themselves, Digidestined." Now the two were wondering about that name.

"Who are 'Digidestined?'" Tracy questioned.

"Digidestined are protectors of a world, inside computers and other technical stuff, which create a world where digital monsters, or Digimon, reside. Digimon are like Pokémon in different ways, but there are some significant differences between them. For instance, Digimon talk, just like us." They seemed really interested. I decided to continue. "Let me continue with the adventure. As we journeyed together, not only did we act like a team, but we started to fall for each other, even Pikachu." My cheeks were beet red. I still remember her. Gary knew that I needed sometime to calm down.

"I think, I'll bypass on the rest of the story," he grinned. "I do want to focus on your condition for Sinnoh." I think, he doesn't want me to go. "With that arm of yours, anyone could end up, like grandpa." Oh, that. I can explain that. As soon as I made it home, I decided to see all my Pokémon, that were in the backyard ranch of Prof. Oak's lab. While visiting, a painful surge shot through my arm and head. I guess, that's when the nightmare started to appear. Clutching my head, Bayleef, a green dinosaur with a leaf on top of its head, with plants stemming from her neck, called help. Prof. Oak was the first to get to me. There was so much pain, going through my head and arm, I didn't know that he was right there. Usually, when you push someone away, they go back a few feet. When I pushed the professor away, he went sailing into a small lake. He was fine, but dumbfounded on what had happened. Even I was terrified about it, and worried that I may've angered Prof. Oak. He acted calm, much to my surprise. Even after that, he got out of the water, and looked at the markings of my arm. He put the sleeve, he gave me, on over my markings, and told me to push me again. I did, but he didn't move more than a couple of feet. When it was, without the sleeve, he equipped himself with padding. The padding didn't help. When I pushed, he went flying, into the side of his house. He suffered some bruised ribs, but smiled as he was carted off on a stretcher. He told me to keep the sleeve on. Seeing the damage I did, I didn't argue.

"I told the professor, that I'll keep the sleeve on." The markings had given me some outrageous power, when exposed to the air. Covered, it's useless. That's when Tracy handed me a ticket. The ticket read: "CERULIEAN PORT, KANTO TO SINNOH." They were going to let me go to Sinnoh, all along.

"We think, you need to get ready," Tracy motioned. "We all know you, not to be in the same place for long. Besides, if this works, your nightmares will be gone." Tracy had a point. It all started when I came home from the Battle Frontier. So, if I left, my nightmares will go, too...until Gary presented me, with the disk, that had my nightmare on it. I was in dismay. They wanted me to carry my nightmare?

"There is a doctor in Sinnoh, that could take the nightmares away," Gary offered. I had taken the disk and was ready to get home. I spent some more days, before I set out for Ceruliean City, and my nightmare coming true.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED... 


	2. The No Way Out Detour

_Chapter 2: The "No Way Out" Detour._

* * *

_Ceruliean Port_

The blue skies. The blue seas. The blue...sweat-tee? Oh, hold on. That's Ash. He and Pikachu had arrived at a boat pier, known as the Ceruliean Port. Ash's quest: Sinnoh. "Check it out, Pikachu," he awed at the cruise liners. Which one of them was going to Sinnoh?

("What did the ticket specify?") Pikachu wondered. Ash reached into his pocket, and pulled out a blue ticket. Yes, blue again. Today must be a blue day. Ash read the ticket.

"Let's see...dock four." He looked up to find the dock, over the crowd of people and Pokémon. Going from left to right, he saw the numbered docks. Dock two, dock three...ah, here we go, dock four. Like most of the cruise liners, it was colored white. As the trainer, left arm wrapped in the blue sleeve, offered by Prof. Oak, and sporting her girl's whistle around his neck, walked over to the assigned dock, the only things on his mind, were on the upcoming journey, and the nightmare that still plagued him. As he got closer to the ship, and hand came out and tapped him on the shoulder. What now? Ash turned to see a hot-looking young woman with pink, looped pigtailed hair, and wearing a skimpy nurse outfit.

"Excuse me, but are you Ash Ketchum?" she asked.

"I am, Nurse Joy." Joy smiled, like she accomplished a feat.

"There is a call for you, on the courtesy phones." Someone was calling Ash? Didn't he tell everyone at home, good byes, already? Maybe, it was someone else, that was wishing him luck. Ash raced to the phones, where a green video phone had the screen reading, "PHONE CALL FOR ASH KETCHUM." Who was calling? Picking up the phone, a young man appeared on screen. He was tanned and had dark, spiky brown hair. Ash recognized him, right away.

"Hey, Brock. What's up?" Brock was happy to see that Ash was at the port, ready to go to Sinnoh.

"Ash, long time, no see," he cheered from the other side of the line. Ash sighed. Reason?

"It's only been a couple of weeks." You couldn't say you missed someone, after only a couple of weeks. Ash was wondering why Brock called. "By the way, why are you buzzing me?"

"Well, I have a request." Oh. Sounded like Brock had something for Ash to do, on his way to Sinnoh. Ash was willing to hear his friend out. "My Crobat had made out with a female Crobat, and well..." Love was near Pewter City, right? "I want to ask, if you could take care of Zuby for me." Zuby?

"Any reason, you named your baby Zubat, Zuby?" For those Poké-noobs, Zubat evolve to Goldbat, then Crobat. When breeding a male and female Crobat, a Zubat could be born. Speaking of, a small red bat appeared. It had two tails, with pink in its ears and wings, but it had no eyes. Brock jumped up, spooked by the bat's arrival.

"Zuby, don't do that!" That's Zuby? Cute little bat, ain't he? Ash chuckled at the surprise appearance of the red Zubat.

"So, that's Zuby, huh?" Brock shyly laughed. He turned back to the screen, willing to accept the deal.

"You have an hour, before your ferry leaves port, right?" Ash nodded. "That's plenty of time to get to know each other. That goes for you, too, Pikachu." Pikachu was listening to Brock, the whole time. He knew that he and Zuby had to get along.

("Don't worry, Brocky buddy,") the mouse promised. Satisfied, Brock was ready to make the transaction, with a smile. This would be the first time that Ash would be training a Zubat.

"Give me a minute." That's when the screen changed, to "PLEASE STAND BY." As Ash and Pikachu waited for Brock to get the little jokester into a Pokéball, a red and white round device to carry Pokémon in, a small purple monkey, with a hand for a tail, was sneaking up on the trainer. Then, the screen changed back to Brock. "Whenever you're ready." When Ash nodded, a flash came from the side of the phone. Suddenly, a Pokéball appeared from the flash. Ash grabbed the Pokéball, and showed to the screen.

"Zuby's here, now," he told. Brock nodded.

"Great. I'll see you, later." With that, the screen with black. Brock hung the phone up, ending the call. Ash hung the phone up, too, before turning to the Pokéball, Brock sent. He opened the ball up, releasing Zuby. Zuby turned to Ash, who was going to welcome the bat Pokémon.

"Hello, Zuby. I'm Ash, Brock's friend." Zuby started to squeak. Understanding another Pokémon, Pikachu knew it was a great sign.

("Sounds like she accepts you,") the mouse chirped. Wait...Zuby's a girl? Although Pikachu knew what gender Zuby was, Ash knew that Pikachu was right, that Zuby accepted him. Suddenly, the phone rang, again. Ash turned to the phone, wondering who it was. When he picked it up, a certain redhead appeared on screen.

"Ash, there you are," she greeted. "I see that you're at the port." She started to laugh, like she knew that Ash was going to be there.

"Misty, you wanted to see me?" he asked. It seemed like Misty called for a reason. Was it that she wanted to see Ash, depart for Sinnoh?

"Not really. I was wanting to ask you, for a favor." A favor...and they couldn't do it, person-to-person? Ash was wondering what the favor was. Was it the same as Brock's request?

"What kind of favor?"

"I want you to watch over Psyduck." Yes, it was the same thing. Misty was hoping that the trainer could assist her Psyduck, in any way. Her Psyduck was rather hydrophobic. It's downright ironic, since a Psyduck is part water-type. Still, this was a favor by a partner, who joined him on the trip to RainBellian. Misty decided to explain. "I've heard that you've been going through a difficult nightmare that reruns. I thought the humorous antics of my Psyduck, might cheer you up." Comic relief? That sounded like a plausible idea, and Ash knew what she had in mind.

"I see where you're coming from. Sure, I'll keep an eye on Psyduck." Misty smiled, knowing that her favor was accepted. She placed her Pokéball, and hit a button. Then, a flash came from the side of the phone. Suddenly, a Pokéball appeared from the flash. Ash grabbed the Pokéball, and showed to the screen. "I got Psyduck." Misty smiled again.

"Take care, Ash." With that, Misty hung up the phone, causing the screen to go black, again. Ash hung the phone, but was waiting for the next call. Paranoid, maybe, but he was suspicious, since he answered two straight calls. He slowly walked away, as he put Zuby and Psyduck's Pokéballs in his make-shift belt. He was walking back to the ferry dock, waiting to board for Sinnoh. Then, he and Pikachu heard clicks. They sounded like snaps from a camera. Ash turned to see a curly brunette in a red striped t-shirt, and biker gloves, not to mention shorts. Ash saw the camera in the boy's hands, and knew who he was, instantly.

"Todd!" The boy turned his head to Ash, waiving him over. So, his name was Todd. He walked over to Ash, happy to see him.

"Ash!" Todd called as he joined in. "Haven't seen you in a long time." Pikachu was also happy to see Todd. "Same with you, Pikachu."

("How've you been, Todd?") Pikachu asked. How long had it been, since Todd and Ash traveled together?

"How've you been, since the adventure, finding Articuno?" Ash could recall the adventures, he and Pikachu had gone through, even the trip to RainBellian.

"I've been out and about," he started. Suddenly, the monkey pounced on Ash, almost knocking him and Pikachu over. Ash turned his head to the excited monkey. "Aipom, what're you doing here?"

("Me join!") Aipom cheered. ("Me join!") It sounded like Aipom wanted to go with Ash, to Sinnoh.

"Sounds like Aipom wants to join you," Todd pointed out. Ash felt overwhelmed. He only wanted to start his new adventure with Pikachu. Now, he had four Pokémon to watch: Pikachu, Aipom, Zuby, and Psyduck. His day couldn't get any worse, could it? "By the way, I heard that there were new Pokémon in the Sinnoh region, so I decided to head there. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to see you." Could you blame him? Then, the unreal appeared. Another Ash? The new person looked exactly like Ash.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting to see you, either," the second Ash spoke out. Todd and Ash #1 turned to Ash #2, wondering who this boy was. Todd was stumped. Two Ashs? Which Ash was the real Ash, while both Ashs glared at each other? That's when the first Ash smiled, as if, he met this clone, before.

"Fool me once, shame on you," he gloated. "Fool me twice, shame on me, Duplica." Who? Todd turned to the clone, as he removed his head exposing teal blue pigtails. Here was the thing about him. He was actually, a she!

"I knew, you would figure me out, one day," she grinned. So, she was named Duplica, huh? Todd had a good look at Duplica. That's when he remembered something, that he heard about.

"Hold on," he voiced. "You're Duplica Imita, the famous Ditto trainer?" Ah, she was the Ditto trainer, who also befriended Ash.

"Close. It's Imito, not Imita." Last names, aside, Ash was wondering why she was here, too. It couldn't be a creepy coincidence, could it? It was interesting enough with Todd.

"Don't tell me, you're here to go to Sinnoh, too?" he whimpered. Duplica started nervously scratching the back of her head. Yep, she was also going to Sinnoh.

"Yeah, well, I got a rumor of a Pokémon that can use Transform, like my three Dittos." Three Dittos? Ash knew about her original Dittos, but was interested in this third Ditto.

"Another companion for Ditto and Mini-Dit?" Duplica nodded, wanting to show Ash, her new Ditto. That's when three pink blob, with each skinny face appeared. Todd whipped his camera to the blobs, snapping shots.

"My new one is the middle Ditto, Dit-ton." Dit-ton? Why did she name that Ditto, Dit-ton? "You can say, it's the opposite of how Mini-Dit transforms. While Mini-Dit changes into smaller versions of bigger sized Pokémon, Dit-ton changes into larger versions of smaller Pokémon." Aipom leaped down to see Dit-ton, itself. That's when Dit-ton started to glow and morph. When it stopped glowing, it was now an Aipom...three times the original Aipom. Ash and Todd were shocked at the size of the cloned Aipom. Yeah, it was that big.

"You think the name is acceptable?" Todd questioned in a hint of fear.

"Totally," Ash huffed. Then, a hooded woman approached the three. She must be the captain of the Sinnoh-bound ferry.

"Excuse me, but are you three going to the Sinnoh region?" she asked. The three turned to the mysterious woman, wondering if she was serious about the question.

"Yeah, we all are," Duplica replied.

"I can take you all to Sinnoh, right now." The three were surprised. If they could be in Sinnoh, Todd could start photographing new Pokémon, Duplica could get to investigate that rumor of the new Transformation creature, and Ash could register for the Sinnoh League. "My yacht is this way." The trio followed the hooded woman to her large yacht, parked on Dock 1. "You can get yourself situated, while I get the motor warmed up." The kids walk aboard the yacht and inside, as the hooded woman entered the bridge, and started the engine. Before long, the yacht left the dock, departing from Ceruliean City, departing from the Kanto Region. During the night, Ash was on the front deck, looking out in the ocean. He was still very bothered about the nightmares that were plaguing him.

'If I knew who they were,' he referred to the people in his dream. Three people, that were in his dream, couldn't be identified, while four others were noticeable to the trainer. 'I might have a better understanding on what's going on. So far, the only ones, that I recognized, were T.K., Yolei, Tai and Sora, not to mention Patamon, Hawkmon, Agumon, and Biyomon.' As he was pondering the dream, Todd came up from below deck. He was wondering why Ash was awake.

"Something disturbing you?" Todd addressed. Ash turned to Todd, with a phony smile on his face. He didn't want to make his other friends, concerned about him.

"Just wanted some fresh ocean air. I'll be back down in a few minutes." Todd believed him, nodded, and returned below deck, as Ash got back to ocean seeing. The next day, Ash let Zuby out for some air, as the other two saw the rarity of a red Zubat. That's when Pikachu saw something in the air. It was a rainbow.

("Guys, look,") he squeaked. ("A rainbow!") Everyone looked up, seeing the stream of colors, flying through the sky. Everyone had a glee of enjoyment...except for Ash, who started to grit. Something felt wrong about the rainbow.

"Guys," he called. "I think Sinnoh will wait." What? Todd and Duplica gave befuddled looks at Ash. They weren't sure on how to act. Ash had a feeling, that he was returning to somewhere...somewhere that he had been before. Then, something odd occurred with the rainbow. The rainbow dove down, and stopped in front of the yacht. Todd and Duplica became unhinged in fear and confusion.

"What's going on?" Duplica stuttered. Then, the yacht entered the rainbow, and disappeared from the waters. Where do the yacht go?

* * *

_RainBellian_

A rainbow appeared in the waters, in which the yacht had reappeared. Todd and Duplica were wondering what just happened, as Ash glared forward. Could the nightmares be from back here? In a place where he seemed familiar with the enviornment? "Okay, we are not en route to Sinnoh, now," Todd realized. He turned to Ash, who seemed more disturbed than the night before.

"Never thought, I'd be back here, again," he murmured. Duplica heard Ash, wanting to know, what he meant. He was here, before?

"You've been here?" she questioned. The cat was coming out of the bag, and Ash couldn't hold the story back.

"Over a year and a half ago, Misty and I came to this place, named RainBellian. There, we teamed up with a couple of Digidestined, and restored the world from a colorless nightmare. However, that victory came with a price. Princess Crystal, the pillar of RainBellian, was killed by a cosmic dragon, named Godal. After all that we fought for, we couldn't stop the dragon, fast enough. We returned to our homes, and gone on with our lives...until now, since I'm here." Todd and Duplica were awe-struck from the briefing. Ash had been a fighter, for a world, that they were hearing about. They were also wondering about who Digidestined were.

"You say Digidestined, as if you know them," Todd threw up. "Care to explain?" Ash was willing to spill information.

"Digidestined are protectors of a world, inside computers and other technical stuff, which create a world where digital monsters, or Digimon, reside. " They were curious about what Digimon were. However, trees started to appear over the ocean. Pikachu saw the trees, knowing that mainland was fast approaching.

("Land, ho!") it yelled. Everyone turned to the trees. Ash knew where they were, continent-wise.

"Reda, the largest continent." The boat closed in on the shoreline. When it rested at the edge, the kids hopped off. The hooded woman hopped off, too, wanting to join. Ash was ready to get going. "Let's get through!" They raced into the forest, leaving the empty yacht by the shore...at least, it was suppose to be empty. From beneath the yacht, three figures came out of the bridge. One was a female, with wavy blood red hair. She wore a white mid-drift shirt, with a red 'R' on it, white skirt, and black thigh-high boots. One was a male, with dampened blue hair. He donned a white uniform, with that same red 'R' on it. The third was a cat.

"So much for Sinnoh plans, James," the redhead moaned. What plans?

"I'm actually more concerned about the twerp, and his story," the blue-haired man, James, muttered. "If he says, where we are, I think, we may need to help him." Those guys, helping Ash? They looked rather suspicious. "Jessie, if we follow them, we can understand more of the situation."

"Oh, yeah? It's not like we know of someone else, of Team Rocket, that's been there." There was something that Jessie and James didn't know about. That cat was coming out of the bag...er, yacht, and it had a curled tail.

"I wonder, if I can see Hawkmon or Tentomon, again," it wondered. Jessie and James shot looks of surprises at the cat, not that it could talk. They've known about him talking, for a long time.

"Meowth, you've...been here, before?" Jessie stuttered. Oh, yeah. Meowth was in RainBellian, as well. Then, James's mind had started to run in reverse...back to the Mirage Kingdom.

"I guess, that you traveled with the twerp, right?" he grilled. Where was he going with this?

"Yeah, even that redheaded twerp, who nearly choked my nine lives, away," Meowth replied. Must've referred to Misty. "She forced me to unravel Col. Hanson's plot to take Togepi." James bobbed his head, going like he understood Meowth's tale. Jessie was more anxious to get going. There was something that these three were after for a very long time.

"I'd like to stay and hear stories that I could care about," she grunted. "But if we don't get going, the twerps and their Pokémon are going to get far away." James and Meowth agreed, and vamoosed into the forest. Meanwhile, Ash and the others had exited the forest, gasping for air...not Ash.

"Why didn't you tell us, about how long the forest is," Todd huffed. "If you've been here before, a little distance warning would've been necessary." The forest had surrounded the perimeter of the continent, and was as deep as 30 miles. Ash should've warned them, and he knew that he slipped up. He started to scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, sorry," he apologized. Then, sounds of thundering hooves were echoing from a distance. Ash and Pikachu heard them, and turned to a direction. That's when they saw two horses, one nighttime black, and the other orangish red. Above was a giant red bird, with a white head, and crooking horns. Immediately, Ash recognized the horses. "D.S.! Blaze Hoof!" The horses heard the names and raced up to the group. The black horse walked up to Ash and rubbed its head around his face. "D.S., it's nice to see you, again." Todd walked up to the D.S., amazed at the look of the horse.

"Wow, a real horse!" Todd was used to picturing Pokémon, so it wasn't too much of a surprise that it was a sight to see something different. Then, the bird landed on the ground, and saw Ash.

"Ash, I thought I'd never see you again," it beaked. Todd and Duplica were shocked that the giant bird was able to talk, like a human. Ash heard him, too, but wasn't sure on how to react. This bird knew Ash, but not vice versa.

"Do I know you?" he questioned.

"You would, if I was Halsemon, but Yolei had me turn into this, thinking that you and Misty would still recognize me." Wait, Halsemon? Ash thought back to whatever the bird named. That's when he remembered something in relation.

"You're Hawkmon?"

"Yeah, but I'm in Champion form. I'm Aquillamon." Aquillamon, huh? Duplica got to Ash's side, wondering who this Aquillamon was.

"Was this a Digimon, you were talking about?" she asked. Ash was willing to reply.

"Yep," he quickly responded. Aquillamon looked at Duplica and Todd, wondering who they were.

"Either Misty didn't join you, or that's her, in a new hairdo, willing to impress T.K.," he pondered. More astonished at the knowledge of Misty, Duplica was wondering how this was possible. Ash was willing to lift Aqillamon's fog.

"No, she didn't come by. This is Duplica, a friend of mine, and that's Todd, a photographer." Todd grabbed his camera, and started taking shots at the giant bird. Hey, when you get an opportunity, take it.

"This is incredible," Todd shrieked in excitement. "I've never seen a Digimon, less take a picture of one." Okay, Todd, we get it. Aquillamon was anxious to return somewhere.

"You can take more shots of the other Digimon, when we get to Violet Village." Was that where the others were, even the Digidestined? Ash had to trust on the friendly bird to get them there. It had to be where Aquillamon was sent from.

"All right," Ash agreed. He wanted to get everyone to Violet Village, quickly. "Duplica, you can ride Blaze Hoof. Todd, let D.S. carry you. Captain, you can ride with me, on Aquillamon." Complying, Duplica and Todd hopped on the horses, while Ash and the yacht captain got on Aquillamon. Then, with a flap of a wing, and a hoof step, the bird and horses raced off. Two hours later, they were in sight of a village, with roofs, all violet. This was the place. "There's Violet Village!" A little while later, the horses slowed down, to a stop, by the village gate. Aquillamon landed down on the grass, letting Ash and the yacht captain off of him. Suddenly, the giant bird started to glow, and morph, like Dit-ton did earlier yesterday, except, Aquillamon shrunk. He came out of the glow, and turned into a smaller red bird with a belt on its forehead, holding a feather.

"I tell you, it feels a little better, after you rest from one of Yolei's bizarre requests," the small bird huffed. Duplica and Todd got to the new bird and Ash, as well as the yacht captain. The two stared at the little bird, in awe.

"It'll be all right, Hawkmon." So, that was Hawkmon?

"Is that what you normally look like?" Duplica asked.

"More or less," he replied. Then, coming to the gate, a young teen female with long lavender hair approached them. Her round glasses caught Ash's attention. He knew who it was, right away, considering her ragged violet clothing.

"Hey, Yvonne," he greeted. Who? The girl saw Ash, knowing something, but what?

"Ash, it's a good thing, you're here," she replied. "And, before you ask, my Earthing counterpart's here, too." Oh, yeah, she and this Yolei looked so much alike, that the Digidestined, during the first voyage, mistaken the two. Suddenly, Yvonne, not Yolei, saw something different. "Wasn't Misty with you, before?" As before, Ash was willing to explain.

"She's got family business to take care of." Family business, being taking care of the Ceruliean City Gym. Yvonne understood him, when she had wanted to progress something.

"The rest are at the inn, where you stayed, last time." With the beliefs that they were going to be there, Ash nodded, before turning to the rest. The yacht captain didn't seem like she wanted to go. Maybe, she didn't want to see Ash's other friends, that were creatures that could talk human. Whatever the reason, she wanted to stay away from all the upcoming action.

"You kids, and animals, go on ahead," she murmured. "I'm gonna head back to the yacht, and do any repairs." Not letting the kids get a word in, edgewise, the captain walked away. Maybe, she knew that Team Rocket was on the prowl. Maybe not. Anyway, undeterred, Ash turned to the town, and ran towards the inn, he heard about. He stopped at the inn's door, with Todd and Duplica, not far behind. Ash opened the door, showing the lobby of round tables and chairs. Then, a green worm-like creature appeared, from one of the chairs. It had violet legs and pincer on the tail. It also had blue eyes, which saw Ash and Hawkmon.

"Hawkmon, you're back?" it spoke up.

"I did bring reinforcements, Wormmon," Hawkmon replied. "I like you to meet Ash, and his Pikachu." Wormmon? Ash thought that the named creature had died, before. If true, then, why was it here? Ash approached Wormmon, wondering if it was the same creature.

"I heard that you were dead," he mumbled. Pikachu was also present when the tale was told.

("I heard about it, too,") it squeaked. Wormmon would want to speak up about that.

"When a Digimon dies in the digital world, they're reconfigured and reborn," he clarified. So, he was reborn after some time in the digital afterlife. Then, a yellow shell-back creature showed up from the same table. It's face looked like a dog, with green eyes. It was wondering who Wormmon was talking to.

"Seems like there's some kind of interesting people here," it barked. Before Ash could say anything, an orange winged piglet-like creature flew in from out of nowhere, and hugged Ash, like it missed him.

"Ash, I've missed you," it cried. Surprised, Ash couldn't help but see...

"Hey, Patamon, good to see you, again," he chuckled. Patamon was in glee, as a blue imp-like creature popped out. Todd and Duplica stepped inside, seeing the other creatures that revealed themselves to Ash and Pikachu. Patamon saw Pikachu, also happy to be reunited with each other.

"Pikachu, long time, no see, buddy!"

("Don't I know it,") Pikachu cheered. Duplica came up, same with Todd, wondering who the creatures were. Todd had a guess of who they were.

"Are those Digimon, too?" he asked. Ash turned to the photographer, willing to clarify.

"They are," he answered. Hawkmon stood on the table, wanting to do introductions. For the imitator and the photographer, this was a treat that may be better than what they could've discovered on Sinnoh.

"As you already know, I'm Hawkmon," Hawkmon said. Next was Wormmon.

"My name is Wormmon," he named. Third to come up was Patamon.

"I'm Patamon," he chirped. "Pikachu and I go a bit back." Hearing about a story of Pikachu and Patamon, being together, Duplica was wanting to listen to it.

"There's a tale, I wanna hear about," she gleed. "By the way, I'm Duplica, a good friend of Ash. That's Todd, a great cameraman." Todd blushed. Embarrassed? Maybe, but he was waining to defend his reputation...not so much.

"Oh, come on, Miss Imita," he incorrectly shrugged her surname, as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm not that great." Yeah, and proof of that...KAWHAP! He got smacked in the back so hard, he felt his lungs flattening.

"That's Imito!" Duplica growled as Todd collapsed. That had to be painful. Returning, the shell-back creature was willing to present himself.

"Anyway, Duplica, Todd and Ash," he rose his voice. "You can call me Armadillomon." Finally, the imp-like creature was stepping up.

"I'm Veemon," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you." As Duplica and Todd began having conversations with the Digimon, Ash was concerned. There were two of the Digimon, he knew, that were here. There were two that weren't...until he looked to his left. He saw a white cat- creature, sitting at a corner of the room. It had purple tips on its ears, and purple stripes on it's tail. The tail also had a gold ring on it. Ash knew who it was, almost immediately.

'Is that Gatomon?' he wondered. He and Pikachu walked to the cat, spotting yellow claw gloves. This had to be Gatomon. Ash huddled over the cat, hoping to understand its problem. "Hey, Gatomon, what's up?" He was waiting for a reply. It didn't. Ash quickly thought of the tail ring. He remembered that this cat told Ash about the tail ring, being missing a long time ago. "It's nice to see your tail ring returned." Still, no dice. Then, there was shouting from upstairs.

"Davis, get your head out of that lousy butt of yours!" a girl screamed, Ash heard the girl, almost recognizing her.

"Yolei?" He turned to Pikachu, with an order. "Pikachu, you stay here, with the Digimon." Pikachu heard his master, unsure about letting him go up alone. Still, he acknowledged the fact, and nodded. Ash walked up, quietly, to observe the argument. When he got up there, he saw four teens and a brunette child, all from his dream. The afro brunette, the young child, the violet male in gray, T.K. and Yolei. He watched from near the staircase, as the five argued.

"I'm telling you, I know what we need to do," the afro teen suggested. What was going on? The child didn't agree with what the afro had in mind.

"Davis, T.K. and Yolei know more about this world, than anyone else," he pointed out. So, the brunette was Davis. The violet haired teen was willing to agree with the child.

"Cody has a point," he sided. Okay, Cody's the name of the child. T.K. was willing to help Davis focus on some sort of task, but what was it about?

"Davis, you were the one who convinced Ken to be with us," he reviewed something from long ago. So, that last teen was Ken, the person who Yolei had feelings about. Hold on...someone was missing. "What I'm offering, is that when they arrive, we can resume the search." Search? It couldn't be...

"If you think, I'll let strangers assist in the search, you're risking some smarts, T.Q.," Davis roared. "I wanted to look for her, the minute she vanished." It was no longer a secret. The nightmares, the return to RainBellian, Gatomon's mysterious anguish...Ash knew that there was only one reason Davis shouted that out. He was silent to hear the rest. He didn't want to remain silent, anymore.

"So, that's the reason, everyone's in a fighting mood," he explained. Everyone turned to Ash, who was angry at them, and for good reason. "Kari's missing, isn't she?" That was the reason. No one believed that Ash knew that a member was absent. T.K. and Yolei would've been happy to be reunited with Ash, but not in the circumstances that were seen. It was bad enough for Ash, with the nightmares. With the disappearance of Kari, it was a true nightmare...come true.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED... 


	3. Ash and Digidestined: Bad Terms

_Chapter 3: Ash & the Digidestined: Bad Terms

* * *

_It was true. Kari, the Digidestined of Light, had disappeared. So many things could explain why Ash was experiencing the troubles he was going through. T.K. and Yolei knew about how close Ash was to Kari, and to hear about her going missing, would get Ash upset.

'Ash, only you would know about her, being gone,' T.K. minded about Ash's discovery.

'I'm sorry that you had to find out,' Yolei thought about Ash, as well. Davis, Cody and Ken were shocked that this young man knew the lost member of the group.

"He knows Kari?" Cody questioned. "How?" If only he was here a year and a half ago. Ken had an intriguing thought. Was this who T.K. was referring about? This additional help?

"I think this young man, knows about us," he noted. "Considering the fact that he knew that Kari was gone." Davis heard them, but was peeved at the rudeness of the raven-haired trainer. Ash did barge in, while the other five were in a meeting. He got up, off his chair and away from the table, and glared at Ash. He was upset that he proclaimed Kari's absence.

"You should stay out of this," he gritted at Ash. "This is offical Digidestined business. Outsiders are not welcomed here." Offical Digidestined business? You're kidding, right? Yolei knew that Ash was an acception, because of the missing girl.

"Davis, let him join," she pleaded. "He knows about Kari...and T.K. and myself." Yolei was an escort for Ash and T.K., as well as a couple others. Davis wasn't willing to let him stay.

"Yolei, this has nothing to do with you. That goes double for T.O." That's T.K., nut job, not Terrell Owens. T.K. wanted to back up on Yolei's claim.

"Davis, this is who I was talking about, for support," he roared. "He and another girl helped us in RainBellian. I can tell you about it, if you give him a chance." Davis didn't want to hear abo'ut a story, looking more focused on trying to locate Kari.

"Listen, I want this man out of here, so that we can discuss on where we need to look." The friction between Ash and Davis was starting to show sparks. Ash was trying to understand why Davis wouldn't accept help.

"So, you're saying that you can find Kari, without your friends?" he groaned. "This is not a good time to be selfish, Davis." Can you imaging Davis's reaction to that remark? He connected a left hook to Ash's cheek, knocking off his cap, and almost his balance. It told how mad Davis was, about Ash. The others were shocked at Davis's act to hurt the trainer. Davis still seethed at Ash.

"Don't tell me, what to do!" Ash rose his body back up, in which his cheek swelled quickly from the punch. Yolei got a good look at his face, worried that Davis may've broken a bone from that strike.

"You okay, Ash?" she asked in concern. T.K. was concerned that Davis wasn't going to let Ash plead his case.

"Davis, he's a great friend," he pointed out. "Give him a chance!"

"T.K.'s got a point," Ash added. "At least, let me explain myself, and tell you how I know Kari." Oh, Davis didn't want to hear that. He replied to Ash's pleas, with an uppercut to the stomach. When the fist was removed, Ash writhed in pain, as he fell to a knee. Blood started to come out of his mouth, trickling down around to his chin. The others began to believe that Davis's actions were quite overexcessive.

"That's enough, Davis!" Cody yelled, trying to stop Davis's beating. He shot a look at the small child, wanting to explain his act.

"I don't want someone, other than a Digidestined, to mention her name," he arrogantly complained. He turned back to Ash, urging him to leave. "Why you had to come up and say that you want to help a Digidestined-only situation, is none of your business. My suggestion is for you to move on." Ash wasn't about to budge, despite the injuries, already suffered. He knew that they needed help in finding Kari.

"Don't be so stubborn," he weakly murmured. "You need all the help that I brought, plus them." He meant the other Digidestined. "Besides, if you continue to act this way, then you'll never find Kari." Ash must've been having fun, picking on Davis like that. Davis spun around, with his fist in full motion. Then...KAPOW! A punch found it's mark. However, it wasn't Davis's swing. As a matter of fact, he was sent flying to the ground, winging over a couple of yards. So, who put the smack down on the Digidestined? Ash glared his eyes to his right, eyeing Duplica, obviously mad at Davis for harming her friend.

"Don't you dare, try to kill my friend!" she screamed at Davis, who was out like a burnt out light. Ken huddled over to the crumpled partner, hoping that he would come around. T.K. and Yolei got over to Ash and Duplica, wanting to treat the trainer's injuries.

"Ash, I'm sorry, you had to deal with Davis's behavior," T.K. apologized. "I take it, you found out about Kari's disappearence, from Gatomon, right?" When Ash entered the inn, he saw Gatomon, croutched in a corner, looking depressed, and unresponsive. He suspected something was wrong, when the Digidestined argument was overheard. When Ash saw T.K. and Yolei, he saw no Kari, prompting him to believe that she was missing.

"Pretty much," he moaned. Duplica pulled a cloth from her pants pocket, and began wiping the blood from his mouth. Seeing that Davis was trying to get up, Ash began to think that Davis may've been right about his abruption. "Maybe, I should've stayed downstairs with the Digimon." Yolei disagreed with that remark.

"You had every right to come up here," she calmly pointed out. "You and Kari have a special bond, so it was natural that you would notice." Davis reacted to that the name, again, but with the addition of the words "special bond." Shoving Ken to the side, Davis was more steamed towards the recovering young man.

"Kari should be with me," he roared. "Listen, boy, you should not have jumped into our business. I don't care that you had to travel with her, but you shouldn't have met us Digidestined, in the first place." Kind of harsh, don't you think? As Todd entered the room, Ash was willing to defend his presence.

"If I met you, a year and a half, maybe, I would take your advice," he growled. That was when Ash and Misty met T.K. and Kari. If it was Davis, and not T.K., then he would've kept Kari, all for herself.

"Will everyone calm down?!" Cody yelled. Everyone turned to the small child, frozen from the deafining tone. "I want to know who these are, before anymore bloodshed is spilled, not to mention the story behind it." Cody wanted peace amongst the feuding teens. Everyone calmed, as they got to the table. For protection, T.K and Yolei had Ash sit with them. Duplica and Todd sat between T.K. and Cody. Everyone was set to explain the story of RainBellian.

"As I've said before, Ash, Yolei and I have been here, a year and a half ago," T.K. started. "During that time, us Digidestined had wrapped up our battle with Ken, and Ash was traveling around the Hoenn Region. By the way, how'd you do, over there?" Guess T.K. was still interested with Pokémon.

"I finished in the top eight, at the Evergrand Tournament," Ash answered. "Then, I recently completed the Battle Frontier. For that accomplishment, they offered me a gym to host my battles, which I denied, but if I make that decision to have a gym, I could give them a call." That was quite a feat. "I was on my way to Sinnoh, when I ran into Todd and Duplica, before coming here." Yolei was proud of what Ash had done. Still, she turned to the rest.

"Ash, Misty, T.K. and Kari, were summoned by Princess Crystal," she continued. "They fought an alien gang, code named Vendetta, in restoring the world's colors. I knew about this, myself, because I was here, with Izzy and Max." Izzy was another Digidestined. As a matter of fact, he was a member of the first generation Digidestined. Max was a younger brother to a newbie trainer, who was smarter than his sister. He had gone back home to Petalburg City, in order to become a trainer, himself. "There was a talking Pokémon, and a friendly alien that were with us. When Ash and the others fought the cosmic dragon, Godal, the dragon was killed, but so was the princess." The newbies of RainBellian were showing remorse...except for Davis. He was outraged that Ash was with Kari, and that Kari was in harm's way. Ash decided to continue the story.

"After we defeated the dragon, we tried to render first aid, but the injuries, she and her fiancée, suffered, were too great. She was the pillar of the land, and we failed to protect her." As Ash was telling his side of the story, Ken observed his cap. It looked similar to something he saw before. "Before we parted, T.K. gave Misty, a keychain doll of his older brother of Matt, while she gave him the prize for gym victory in her home city, a Cascade Badge." T.K. pulled a blue water drop badge from his pocket, and showed it to everyone.

"At the same time, Gatomon gave his Pikachu a farewell kiss." The three veterans of RainBellian chuckled a bit about that, while the other Digidestined were wondering who Pikachu was. Yolei realized it, and stopped her laugh. She turned to Ash, seeing if it's alright to have his Pokémon join in. "Did you bring Pikachu, Ash?" Ash shot a look back, like he knew what she wanted to ask.

"Yeah, if you want." She got up, and walked to the peak of the staircase.

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Yep, she imitated Ash, when it came to calling out his Pokémon. Thought that was Duplica's job. Pikachu heard his name, and ran up to Yolei. Happily, the mouse leaped into her arms, joyous of their reunion. She returned to the table, and let Pikachu be on it. "This is Ash's Pikachu, his very first Pokémon." The Digidestined saw the mouse, intrigued by it's looks.

"So, that's a Pokémon," Ken noted. Ken looked back at Ash's cap. That's when something clicked in the memory bank. "I take it you gave Kari, one of your baseball caps, right?" Yolei warned Ash that Ken was really intelligent. This was proof.

"That's right," he replied. "In exchange, she gave me, her whistle." He undressed the whistle, and held it out for everyone. To everyone else, it was a momento of their journey. "Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but sitting on our butts won't help us find her." Davis nodded. At least, he agreed with something that came out of Ash's lips.

"I guess I'll take your word, on it," Davis groaned in defeat. "Well, Reda's been looked over, we can tell you that." Considering how stressed they were, Todd agreed with them. In the search for the missing Digidestined, the entire continent of Reda was scavenged, with no sight.

"Well, what's our next move?" he asked. Everyone had a thought about the question. Ash began to wonder if the Digidestined had explored any of the other continents.

"Have you guys explored anywhere else, or was Reda, the only one?" he questioned.

"So far, we got around Reda," T.K. responded. Suddenly, he realized why Ash had asked...and who they had amongst them. "I get it. You want teams of two, to go to each of the other continents." Ash nodded, figuring that this plan would widen the search for Kari. "There are four other continents that we need to comb through: Yelkow, Blugar, and the Poles of North and South." So now, who were the teams?

"Ken and I will scope out the North Pole," Davis called dibs. North Pole was the sight of the final battle between the original heroes and Godal. "Maybe, we'll see Santa, and have him help find Kari." He's thinking like a kid? Not the way to go, Davis.

"Davis, the issue is Kari, not Kris Kringle," Ken groaned. Anyway, the first team was Davis and Ken en route to the North Pole.

"I'll have Todd go with me to Blugar," Cody offered. Blugar was where Max met Sarin, now a former Vendetta. Todd nodded to the idea, ready to go.

"Duplica can tag along with me, over in Yelkow," T.K. offered. It's probably a good thing no one told Davis of Kari's kiss to Ash, because Yelkow was where it first happened. Duplica was willing to know this blonde a little more, and agreed on his propisition. That meant that Ash and Yolei were left, and their destination was the South Pole. Ash and Yolei glared stunned looks at each other, not trying to say that they wanted to swap. "If we find Kari, or any clue of where she could be, use the D-terminals to alert the rest." Other than Davis, and those from the Pokémon world, everyone agreed. T.K. saw that Davis didn't react to his note. "That goes for you, too, Davis. This is a team effort, and we don't want to lose another member." Davis stood his ground. It's hard to convince someone like him, wouldn't it? With that sight, T.K. decided to go with Ash's trump card. "Pikachu, can you please convince him, please?" If there was one thing, Pikachu was good at, other than battling, is his tazing convincing, as he let out a Thunderbolt. Now, Davis was reacting. He was being shocked heavily.

"Okay, okay, I'll respond!" he yelled through the electricity. Hearing that, Pikachu stopped the attack. Davis was charcoaled from head to toe, and his afro was a bit bigger. Yolei and Duplica began rolling in laughter, at the puffy hairdo. A little later, everyone was ready to go, in search of the missing Digidestined. Ash walked back over to Gatomon, trying to convince it to join him.

"Gatomon, listen," he pleaded. "I know how much, you miss her, but, I know, we'll find her, soon. If you don't believe me..." He put the airhole whistle in his mouth, and blew into it. Gatomon heard the shrill of the whistle, and awoke from her own stillness. It turned to Ash, remembering him well.

"Ash, I..." she stuttered. "I'm sorry." Ash knew her isolation was due to Kari's news.

"It's okay. Let me carry you." Gatomon hopped into Ash's arms. It wasn't Kari, but someone who cared for her. As Ash walked out to the rest, he knew that he withheld telling them of the nightmare. Maybe, it was better that way. With the Digimon, providing support for travel, the kids got ready to search for the Digidestined of Light. Would she be in any of the continents? Stay tuned and find out.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. The Light Search

_Chapter 4: The "Light" Search _

_

* * *

_

_North Pole_

Davis and Ken had left Reda, mainly the Violet Village, a few hours ago, and were on there way to the North Pole. Davis was on a giant blue winged creature, looking more vicious than Veemon. It also had a giant X on its chest. Ken was on a giant fly-winged creature which looked more of a green human than bug. It also had a pair of green-orange striped antlers, as well as black heavy gauntlets, and upper leg guards. As they spotted land, Ken was thinking back to how Davis behaved to Ash's appearence. "Did you ever think, that you were overreacting to when Ash made that announcement about Kari?" he questioned. Before, back in Violet Village, Ash mentioned that Kari, one of their members, was missing. Davis reacted by trying to knock his lights out, but ended up on his backside by Duplica, Ash's friend and Ditto trainer. Davis didn't think that he was out of line.

"Heck, no!" he roared in defense. "That kid should've known better than to storm into our meeting, and state the obvious. We all know that Kari was gone, but that still doesn't excuse him of making that interuption." Maybe, but no one was aware of the history between Ash and Kari. The green Digimon wanted to defend what Ken was trying to say.

"I see where you're coming from," it buzzed. "But, I agree with Ken, on this one. If you had asked about why Ash was here, and let T.K. and Yolei explain the situation, you wouldn't have been beaten by that girl." Davis was still in denial.

"She blindsided me, Stingmon! How was I suppose to know that Duplicate was coming to get me?" Geez, first, T.K, and now Duplica. Ken thought back to when Davis got swung, while swinging.

"You did turn your head in the direction of the staircase," he pointed out. That could've meant that Davis had a chance to see Duplica, charging in to save Ash. "And by the way, her name was Duplica, not Duplicate." Feeling outnumbered upon incriminating evidence, all Davis could do is sigh in defeat. Moments later, the four member team landed on ground. They saw the castle, the same castle of the final battle, between the original heroes and the cosmic dragon, Godal. Davis, Ken and the Digimon have arrived on the North Pole. Immediatley, the boys, each brought out a small device. Ken's device had a dark gray handle. Davis had a pure blue handle.

"I'll go look into the castle. You look out here. Let's go ExVeemon!" So, Ken and Stingmon would search around the shoreline, while Davis and ExVeemon would scan in the castle.

"Coming, Davis," ExVeemon grunted as it followed Davis, up the staircase, and to the castle. With Davis gone, Ken hopped back on Stingmon, monitoring his device, as they flew around the perimeter of the northernmost continent.

"Stingmon, what if Davis wasn't there, when Ash reported the news?" he asked his Digimon. Stingmon had wondered why he brought up a "what if"question. It did listen to the conversation, even putting in its two cents.

"I would say that you'd be the one who would confront that guy, and that T.K. and Yolei would've sorted everything out," it answered. "Let's face it, Ken, ever since your experience, ruling over the DigiWorld, you've lost more and more of your anger and frustration." Stingmon had a point. Ken was once a bossy self-apointed ruler, before the other Digidestined forced him to step down. Since then, he had sided to help Davis and the rest to protect the world. Ken got back to his device, seeing a blue dot. Davis, perhaps? Inside the castle, Davis was looking at his device, too. Only seeing the gray dot, thinking that it was Ken's device giving off the signal, he decided to put the device away.

"My D3's not picking up anything," he grumbled. ExVeemon was scoping out the castle, remembering what the story was, that Patamon told the other Digimon about. This place, holding the final battle with Godal.

"This is quite a shanty place here," it noted. "Hard to believe that this place was once a big fight scene." As they continued on, something was starting to appear. When Davis turned to another hallway, a ghostly spirit appeared. It looked like a young redhead, ponytailed man, wearing shark scales on his upper body, and tattered pants. Awe-struck, Davis and ExVeemon were amazed at the sight of this spirit. The spirit eyed the two, wondering who they were.

"Identify yourself!" he ordered. Davis straightened himself out. He stood firm at the spirit.

"My name is Davis," he revealed. "This is my Digimon, ExVeemon"

"I am Aquos, water guardian of RainBellian. I have been left in charge of protecting the castle, at all cost." Aquos was one of the four guardians that helped the heroes, the long time ago. He had also given a powerful orb to Misty, which let her fuse with her creatures. "What brings you here, Davis?" It could've been Aquos's tone, but Davis started to act defensive.

"It's none of your business!" ExVeemon got worried. Davis wasn't going to explain a word, no matter who was confronting him. That usually leads to trouble.

"Davis, don't rub him the wrong way!" it reacted. Aquos's arms became water, and fired beams of water, hitting Davis. Shot a distance far, Davis was on his back, soaked, and socked out. Not wishing for the same fate, ExVeemon decided to comply. "We're searching for Kari. She's been missing from our world." Aquos's eyes shot up. He knew that name. His arms returned to normal. This was serious.

"She's gone?" he gasped. "What about the others?" ExVeemon did overhear about the four heroes saving RainBellian.

"Misty's back at her home, and the two boys are in different continents." Hearing about Ash and T.K., being here, Aquos knew that alerting the other guardians was important. "T.K. should be in Yelkow, and Ash, in the South Pole." As Davis was getting up, Aquos understood the situation.

"Thank you for your cooperation, ExVeemon. Ergaia and Windalyr should be reunited with Ash and Takeru, at their locations. I'll help search with you, in finding Hikari." Resolutions made, ExVeemon nodded. The search for Kari continued.

* * *

_Blugar _

Todd had hopped off of a white submarine, onto shore of new land. The white submarine had the same shell of Armadillomon, amongst the violet underbelly. It also had a spear in the nose, with four blades. Inside the weird sub, was Cody. "Thanks for the ride, Submarimon," Todd praised.

"Don't worry about it, Todd," Submarimon replied.

"Submarimon and I will swim around the perimeter," Cody planned. "Because my D3's can find each other Digidestined, I might find her, faster." In addition, Cody knew Kari, a lot, so Todd felt pretty useless...if he wasn't without radio walkie-talkies. Cody and Todd, each, had a walkie-talkie, in hand.

"If something pops up on your D3, let me know," Todd reminded.

"I will." With that, Submarimon submerged underwater. Todd kind of wished he had a talking submarine, like Cody's. Hey, who wouldn't?

"I'd like to ride in that, sometime..." Todd began to enter inward of the continent. If Kari was on Blugar, Cody could pick her up easily. Todd was pretty much blind. He had no idea who Kari was, or what she was like. For half an hour, Cody and Submarimon scoped the surroundings, as Todd waded through the small continent. Worried about the child, Todd strolled to the nearest shore. That's when a ghostly figure showed up in front of the photographer. This one looked like a young brunette girl, wearing a white robe, and angel wings. Was this another guardian? Grabbing his walkie-talkie, Todd wanted to let Cody in on what was going on. "Cody?" Cody heard his name, and grabbed his walkie-talkie.

"Did you find Kari?"

"I don't know, but there appears to be a spirit of someone, and I'm kinda freaking a little." Little? Dude, your legs were shaking like maracas. The female spirit was willing to calm the shocked young man.

"I am Holion, light guardian of RainBellian," she announced. "What is your business in Blugar, the continent that I'm in charge of protecting?" Holion was one of the four guardians that helped the heroes, the long time ago. She had also given a powerful orb to Kari, which let her fuse with Gatomon. If she could be reasoned with, then maybe, Todd would be fine.

"We're searching for someone named Kari, and we've spread throughout the world to look for her." Holion was in shock. Kari was gone? It couldn't be.

"I'll help out!" It was quick, but resolutions were made. Holion was worried about the one who she had to protect. More worried than Ash, perhaps?

* * *

_Yelkow_

T.K. and Duplica were flying over the sandy lands of Yelkow, the warmest continent of RainBellian. Both riders were on matching orange thuroghbreds with golden cuffs on each hoof, and a golden helmet. The gold wings came out of armor that was strapped to the under belly of the majestic beasts. T.K. was in surprise. Why? "I never thought that your Ditto could copy and change into Pegasusmon, like that," he muttered. "If it hadn't been for you, I might've taken your Ditto and be stranded." Wait...Ditto, as Pegasusmon? That didn't sound right.

"Guess Misty was right, about having the most unusual Dittos," she admitted. "Mini-Dit, who can transform into smaller versions of larger Pokémon, Dit-ton, who can transform into big versions of small Pokémon, and this one, who could transform into anything." Well, what could you say? "I still remember the first time, I met Ash, Ditto was having trouble with it's face, since it never changed. When it did perfect the proper transformation, I learned that Ditto could do more than just Pokémon, like cannons, hula hoops, gurneys, et cetera. So, transforming into Digimon is nothing, too surprising." Folks, we may've met the ultimate Ditto. It looked like the carbon copy of T.K.'s armored Digimon.

"Geez, I'm rather flattered, Duplica," Ditto, not Pegasusmon, gloated. "I mean, how many Pokémon do you see, change into anything on the spot? The next thing I could change into, might be that girl, you're all looking for." Ditto, as a human? That sounds more frightening than interesting, maybe even worse, compaired to having identical twins.

"Well, I can revert back to my littler form of Patamon," the real Pegasusmon pointed out. "You would go back to being Ditto." Of course, Ditto can't hold it's form for too long. Still, to hear a Pokémon talk like that is a treat for those who were patient for that to happen. Soon enough, the team landed in the yellow sands of the dry Yelkow continent. Hopping off, the real Pegasusmon changed down, becoming Patamon. The copied Pegasusmon morphed back to the pink gum-like Ditto. "See what I mean?" Ditto sighed, aknowledging Patamon's word. Duplica felt like comforting the copier.

"Look at it, this way, Ditto," she hummed as she carressed her Pokémon in her arms. "Mini-Dit and Dit-ton can't do the same thing you can do." Ditto smiled, beliving it's master. As the two journeyed on, Duplica felt like asking about why T.K. was a heck of a lot calmer about Kari's disappearance, than Ash or Davis. "You know, I'm starting to believe that this vanishing act had happened before. Am I right?" T.K. stopped. It had happened before, and he remembered it.

"Thrice," T.K. added. Thrice, as in three times? Kari must've been a frequent target. What happened those three times? "They happened in a three month period. The first time, I noticed that Kari was exhausted from something that was going on. When Gatomon tried to reach her, by the beach, she vanished. Everyone began to look for her, but Patamon and I found her in a displaced part of the DigiWorld, where she was trying to protect a school of Divermon, who were snared by Ken, when he was the Digimon Emporer. When Pegasusmon and I destroyed a control spire, we freed the school, who digivolved into NeoDivermon. They wanted to take Kari to see their king for ruling the place, but we denied that chance, and took Kari back. Then, a month later, on our way to Pinkville, with Ash and Misty, in Reda, the same Divermon dusted sleeping powder, over the bedroom. Ash and Pikachu were in the kitchen, when it happened, so they were safe. That's when Kari was taken, again, along with Gatomon. When Ash came back to the bedroom, they saw Kari's bed vacant, and followed them back into the dark world. The NeoDivermon tried to drown Kari, but Ash was fast enough to save her. That's when the NeoDivermon revealed that they wanted to prevent Dragomon from awakening. Because Kari found her Fusion Orb, she and Ash were able to defeat Dragomon. The next morning, Misty and I found them, sleeping with each other. The last time, another month later, she disappeared, yet again. However, Ken and Yolei were with her at the time. When they fought Flowermon, Gatomon and Hawkmon DNA digivolve into Selphimon, and wiped out that Digimon"

Poor girl. Now, it's happened again. "It seems the darkness wants this girl." T.K. nodded, before the group pressed on. T.K. monitored his D3. No signal. She might not have been here. The only place that has yet to be check is the South Pole, where Ash and Yolei were going.

"Nothing, huh?" Patamon wondered. T.K. shook his head. Then, a shine jumped in front of them, causing everyone to turn their heads away from it. The shine dimmed gradually, causing them to look at what lit up in front of them. It was another spirit. This one was a blond man with eagle wings for arms, as well as on his ankles, and wore tight fit pants. T.K. and Patamon recognized the spirit, right away. "T.K., isn't that?"

"Windalyr!" he announced. This was Windalyr, T.K.'s guardian on RainBellian. Windalyr saw T.K., glad to see him in good health.

"Takeru, it's good to see you, again," he smiled. "What brings you here? It's rather unusual to see you, without the others." T.K. was willing to explain.

"Misty is back at her home. Ash and I were looking for Kari, wondering if she was here." Windalyr's face grit. He was suspecting something wrong. Duplica was wondering how T.K. knew the spirit.

"I take it you two had a run-in?" she guessed. The blond was willing to specify who this spirit was.

"This is Windalyr, RainBellian's sky guardian, and spirit partner of mine. When the four of us started fixing RainBellian, a year and a half ago, Princess Crystal had us look for the four Fusion Orbs of the guardians: Misty's water spirit, Aquos, Kari's light spirit, Holion, my sky spirit, Windalyr, and Ash's earth spirit, Ergaia. We all had spheres, called Fusion Orb, in which we could merge our Pokémon or Digimon. When we battled Godal, the legendary cosmic dragon, we, as well, turned into dragons to fight." If you need clearer understanding, tune to the prequel. Duplica was dumbfounded. This was what Ash and Misty had to go through? Windalyr turned back to T.K., worried about something.

"Takeru, where have you checked for Hikari?" the spirit questioned. T.K. thought about where he and the Digidestined have looked, so far.

"We started with our hometown, in Odaiba, Japan. Then the digital world, before coming here, and we've searched Reda." So far, no luck. "I'm waiting word, from my friends, if they found her." Windalyr had concern. The answer would've been obvious.

"What about Ash? Where is he searching from?" Now, T.K. was starting to wonder in suspicion. If it was about Ash, something bad was approaching.

"Are you worried about our trainer-friend?"

"I sensed a dark aura from the young warrior. It's hard to explain, but Ash appears to have obtained powers from a mighty demon." That's not good. "In the open air, that power is controlled by his emotions. He could easily kill someone, if provoked." Yikes! Davis came awfully close to being a corpse, if it wasn't for Duplica, getting to him, first. But what did he mean by "in the open air?" Duplica had an interesting thought.

"When you say 'open air,' you mean if the power's exposed, right?" she guessed.

"Correct, miss." That would explain the sleeve that he wore over his left arm. That arm possessed the demonic powers, Windalyr pointed out. "I'll join in the search for Hikari. She may be the key to removing the power that Ash may cause leathal injuries." With that, the skying reunion was done. All T.K. and Duplica had to do, is search the rest of Yelkow, before rejoining Ash.

* * *

_South Pole_

Aquillamon was coming down on the land, south of the Violet Village, carrying Yolei and Ash. Pikachu was on Yolei's shoulder, since Ash was trying to caress a distraught Gatomon. Without Kari by her side, she was no more useful than a house pet...with yellow claw gauntlets, of course. Ash was feeling effects, too, due to the girl's absence. "I was in charge of protecting Kari," Gaotmon whimpered. "I can't believe she's gone." Ash pet the helpless Digimon, as Yolei and Pikachu watched.

"You're not alone, Gatomon," he muttered. "I wish that she was with us." Yolei watched them, worried about their emotional states. Aquillamon touched land. They landed in the South Pole, in which everyone hopped off the winged Digimon. As Aquillamon digivolve to Hawkmon, Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder, as he held Gatomon in his arms. Yolei pulled her D3 out of her shirt pocket, and checked the monitor.

"Won't be easy to find her?" Yolei muttered. "You've had more experience with the South Pole." She turned to the trainer, hoping for help. However, he was so wound up with Gatomon, he probably didn't hear Yolei. Gatomon, Kari's Digimon, and Ash, Kari's supposed boyfriend, both lost in hopeless wishing thought. Yolei's worries were growing, just seeing the two in sorrow. "You know, nothing'll get accomplished, with you guys standing around."

("Yolei's right,") Pikachu agreed. Ash didn't move, but did take a deep breath. Yolei's words sunk in, bit by bit. He had to search for her.

"My arm and that nightmare won't solve themselves," he murmured. Yolei was wondering what he meant by those items. What was wrong with his arm, and what nightmares was he sleeping in on?

"What happened to your arm?" she pointed to the sleeve. Yolei was a good friend to discuss problems, if he had any.

"When I finished my run in the Battle Frontier, a strange black marking appeared on my arm. I thought it was a bruise, I suffered from fending off Team Rocket, but the marking was too much of a design to be a simple bruise. Then, after separating from my friends, in which Max and Sarin headed back to Hoenn, Team Rocket confronted me, again, and tried to kidnap Pikachu in a unique vehicle. When they used that mechanical hand to get Pikachu, I stepped in front, and had my right arm get snagged. I feared that they would crush my arm, so I swung with my left. I destroyed their arm, and they were in shock. That's when I used that same arm, hitting the enginge compartment, blowing the vehicle up, and sending them skyward. I did remember that at the Battle Pyramid, I opened a seal, containing a spirit of an evil king, in which I was temporarily possessed, and probably how I ended up with my arm, wrapped up in a sleeve, to help control that power. Yet, nothing could control a repeating nightmare that I've tried to get over. Come to think of it, you were there, as well as the others, I saw." Whoa! How much suffering could one young man take? Yolei and Hawkmon were stunned to have known that a lot had happened to Ash, recently.

"I-I don't know what to say. I'm sorry for asking." Ash knew Yolei was worried, but knew that it wasn't her fault at all. Some of it was his.

"You're not to blame. Besides, You're not the one who has to bear this burden." Maybe, it was best not to talk about how Ash put Prof. Oak in the hospital. Ash proceeded on, in which Yolei followed, still greatly concerned about Ash. He still had a look of a lost soul.

"Poor kid. His nightmares have taken quite a toll." It was like she knew Ash's problems from the start. Probably, he was scared of what that arm was capible of.

"He looks like he's about to lose his last nerve," Hawkmon motioned. "His eyes were rather baggy, and that nightmare sounds really scary." They haven't seen the video of his nightmare, yet. About an hour later, they came up to a mountain, surrounded by an ocean of trees. Ash remembered this spot. This was where the adventure began, that long time ago.

"This was where I first met Kari," he reviewed. This was the center of the South Pole, where he and Misty first met T.K. and Kari.

"This is the place?" Yolei echoed. "I like to hear the story behind it." Waste time? Why not.

"When we were spared our lives from T.K.'s father's poor driving, or the blimp fight, we landed on different sides of the mountain. However, we ended up with each other's creatures: T.K. and Kari had Pikachu and Togepi, while Misty and I had Patamon and Gatomon." Gatomon nodded, confirming Ash's story.

"He helped me and Patamon get back with Kari," she added. "When we were all together, we all got along for the most part. The only hiccup was after Ash and Kari beat Nitros, when Kari kissed Ash, in front of Misty." That was when Misty ordered Ash around like a servant, carrying everyone's luggage. Ash saw an entrance on the mountain. Inside was the place, the original heroes spent the first night. He wanted to see the place, one more time, as well as Gatomon. "Ash, is it all right, if we go in?"

"Sure, Gatomon." He turned to Yolei, checking her D3. Nothing was coming up. In a sense, Kari was nowhere on RainBellian. So, where was she? Ash proceeded into the cave, with Pikachu and Gatomon in tow. Entering, he walked down the many steps down to the scene, where four colored beds, and kitchen appliances had been before, and was still there. "Nothing's changed." Gatomon hopped down and onto a bed, which had pink and white striped blankets. Ash saw the bed. It was Kari's bed. Yolei and Hawkmon came down to see them, caught in memories of the place. Laying her head to relax, Gatomon tried to find something useful to help search for her partner. That's when something trickled her ears. It sounded like water, ocean waves. The sounds were coming from behind her. When she looked back, all that was there, was the wall.

"Something's there." She sniffed the air. There was ocean air, and it was coming from behind the bed. She knew that something was there, but what? She turned to Ash. "Ash, can you move the bed, please?" When Ash heard the cat, he walked over to the bed, and heard the ocean water. What was making that sound? Quickly, he nodded.

"Hang on." Grabbing the bed frame, Ash tried to pull the bed from the wall. It wasn't budging. Resting a little, he thought about removing the sleeve. The bed was bolted to the ground, and something was back there. He made the decision, and removed the sleeve, exposing the marking. Yolei was horrified about the markings, revealed from the sleeve. Gatomon saw it, too, and hopped off the bed. It was a wise move. Ash grabbed the bed frame, again, and pulled. This time, he managed to lift the entire bed. That feat had Yolei and the Digimon stuttering in fear, as he put the bed down gently. The bed frame had been crushed. What lied behind it, was a discovery. A small tunnel emerged. The hole was about half the size of the cave entrance, but how deep was it? Ash decided to send a Pokémon into the cave, as he grabbed Zuby's Pokéball. "Come on out, Zuby!" The Pokéball opened, releasing the red Zubat. "Zuby, Pikachu, I'd like you to check out that tunnel, and report back what you find." Following instructions, Pikachu and Zuby raced into the tunnel entrance. They wouldn't be alone. Gatomon decided to help out, too, and was heading into the tunnel. "Gatomon?"

"Kari is my responsiblity. I have to help in the search." What sparked Gatomon's interest in searching, again? "I guess, you've helped me, enough, that I felt that I needed to repay you, somehow." Repay from the adventure before? Ash nodded, allowing the cat to join. As the creatures explored the new cave, a flash shot from behind the humans. Ash and Yolei turned around, to see a spirit. The spirit was a jet-black haired woman, wearing a dirt covered robe, and was barefoot. The two and Hawkmon recognized the spirit in an instant.

"Ergaia!" they hiccuped in unison. Ergaia saw Ash, but saw the dark markings. She became fearful.

"I saw that performance, Ash," she growled. "Where you've obtained the power, is regardless. I did hear about how you used the power to protect your creature." Ash didn't want to make Ergaia worry.

"Ergaia, we're looking for Kari," he said, changing the subject. "And her disappearence has plagued me with some misfortune. I won't let my arm get the better of the problems, I face." Ergaia couldn't find the words to counter. That's when the tunneling creatures came out...with interesting news.

"Guys, there's some sort of portal, in the tunnel," Gatomon explained. "I think it's safe, if we regroup." Everyone heard the Digimon. A portal? If Kari was here, before, she could've gone through. It was the only lead, that they've just gotten. Yolei agreed, and got on another handheld device, and began to type in it. Ash knew what the device was.

"The D-terminal." Yolei got done with the typing, and sent the mesage all around.

* * *

_Unknown_

Something lit up in a place of black. It was another D-terminal. Yolei's message popped up on screen.

FOUND PORTAL. REGROUP IN SOUTH POLE CAVE. POSSIBLE TO FIND KARI? HURRY! -YOLEI.

Then, the screen dimmed, like there was a dead battery. Was this Kari's D-terminal? Was this where Kari was, with an evil laughter echoing loudly? Kari didn't disappear. She was kidnapped, and hidden somewhere.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	5. Small Cave, Big Apple

_Chapter 5: Small Cave, Big Apple

* * *

_It's been an hour since Yolei's message got sent, saying that Kari may've gone through a portal in the South Pole. The Digidestined, Ash, Duplica and Todd were met by the guardians of RainBellian: Aquos, Holion, Windalyr, and Ergaia, in which they told them about Kari's disappearence. Yolei and Pikachu were waiting for the arrival of the others, wondering if they believed her. This was a friend that they needed to find. Pikachu looked up, thinking that they might be coming from the sky. Suddenly, a flash came out of the air. Long shot says that Todd was using a flash bulb on his camera, viewing the land. Well, it was Todd, with Cody, Armadillomon, and Holion. They emerged from a bubble of light, as Yolei was there to greet them. "Any luck?" she asked. Todd and Cody shook their heads in disgrace. "Guess not." Cody was wondering how Holion knew Kari, and thought of asking the woman.

"Yolei, how does this spirit know a lot about Kari?" he questioned. Yolei was scratching the back of her head, acting like she forgot about the guardians. Hey, she didn't know that they were still hanging around.

"Sorry about that. I wasn't expecting them to still be here." Holion stood forward. She was wanting to know about how Kari had vanished.

"Ms. Inoue, what caused Kari to disappear?" she asked. This was Kari's guardian on RainBellian, like Gatomon was in the DigiWorld. Still, Yolei wasn't clear on how she became lost.

"I don't know, myself. If we did know, we wouldn't be here." Point taken. Just then, from the sky again, Windalyr and two Pegasusmons were entering the area. When the fliers landed, T.K. and Duplica hopped off, before the Pegasusmons reverted back to Ditto and Patamon. T.K. got to Yolei, wanting to know about the discovery.

"What's this about a portal?" T.K. ordered, like this was the break that he believed was good news.

"Pikachu, Gatomon and Zuby found a portal in a small cave inside the cave. If Kari was here, that would've been the only way to go, to escape." So, where that portal lead to, Kari might be on the other side. T.K. was wondering, though, who Zuby was. Duplica and Windalyr hurried to the group, hoping to get answers about the distress signal. It also meant the reuniting of the spirits.

"I see that you're here, Holion," Windalyr stated the obvious. "Hopefully, we'll see Aquos and Ergaia, soon enough." They knew that Aquos was coming, but not that Ergaia was already there. All they had to do was wait for Davis, Ken, Aquos and the Digimon. Some didn't want to wait.

"I want to investigate this portal, right now," Cody impatiently growled, before going to the cave. T.K. and Todd followed Cody, as Patamon, Armadillomon and Pikachu watched, dumbfounded by what just occurred.

"OK, what just happened?" Armadillomon wondered. Pikachu and Patamon were unsure on how to react. Suddenly, screams were heard. Enjoyable screams. Yolei and Duplica ran to the shore line, and saw a tidal wave. Wait...waves don't cheer. It was Davis, riding on a patch of ice, like a surf board, while Aquos was carrying Ken, Wormmon and Veemon. The wave crashed into the shoreline, sending the ice board and Davis gliding...into the trees. How bad was Davis messed up? He got lucky...if you want to say that getting nailed below the belt was a good thing. Davis was writhing in pain, as he laid in a fetal position, and the girls were showing faces of discomfort. But, you could bet, that those girls were laughing their heads off, inside.

"If he ever has children, let me know," Duplica groaned.

"Will do," Yolei agreed. Aquos let Ken and the Digimon off, on the land, to let them check on Davis and his manhood.

"My nuts..." Davis grimaced. Smacking the body part between your legs, yeah, you wouldn't be able to move for a while. After a while to rest his...unmentionables, Davis got up, and ran over to the cave. Running at top speed, Yolei's words were left in Davis's dust.

"Watch your step," she warned. Deaf ears. Davis entered the cave, and missed the first step. This was going to be a doozie. He fell from the top of the staircase, straight down to the bottom, and landed with a slam onto his stomach. With a groan, it was obvious that he was alive.

"I think I landed on something soft..." He sounded OK. Ash, T.K., Cody, Gatomon and Hawkmon saw Davis's dive...and gave him scores. How did Davis rank? Ash gave him a 6, T.K. gave him a 5, Cody scored him a 5, Hawkmon rated him a 3, and Gatomon held a 2. Davis had an average of 4.2, which was not good.

"You did, Davis," T.K. noted. "You're on Psyduck." Who? Davis pushed himself up, revealing a yellow duck with a tuff of black hair on it's head.

("Owwwwwwwww...") it whimpered. That...was Misty's Psyduck? Hope it's okay. Soon enough, everyone was regrouped in the cavern. They saw the cavern opening, wondering if that was were Kari had gone through. Patamon glared at Gatomon, worried that the discovery was just that, without finding Kari.

"We'll find her, Gatomon," Patamon promised. Gatomon nodded, but was still worried about the result. Yolei wasn't willing to crawl into the entrance, yet. She had a good reason.

"I'm going in there, last," she growled. "Keep in mind, I don't want any boys, glaring up my skirt." Sensitive, wasn't she? The boys groveled, at Yolei, not wanting any lecturous acts done on her. Davis felt frustrated from her outburst.

"Geez, Yolei, we're looking for Kari, not panties," he calously grunted. "Besides, it's not like anyone's seen you naked, right?" On cue, there was one person who rose his hand, who was with Yolei in her birthday suit. Other than T.K. and Yolei, everyone turned to Ash. Sounds of questionable awes filled the room, in the response. "You?" Ash remembered that time, during the first adventure.

"During the previous run, T.K., Yolei and I ran into an abandoned inn, while we left Misty, Max, Kari and Izzy back at Beigeburg, on Yelkow. When we used the bathhouse, T.K. tried to get a thrill, by seeing Yolei on the other side. He ended up with a soaked head and a bruised pride. After he, and our creatures left in defeat, Yolei joined me, and scrubbed my back while we talked about Ken." The crew was amazed, and shocked. Ash had actually bathed with a girl, in the same bath. Was Davis more mad with Ash? Nope.

"Way to go, dude," he gleed, as he slugged Ash in the arm. "I knew there was something that I liked about you." That's when asked the all important question. "So, what's your secret?" Secret? Ash gave it a thought. What gave him the ability to be a chick magnet? He thought of the only thing, that would make sense.

"All I can think of, would be that I act like myself, and treat them, the same way I would want to be treated. I don't know about any hidden charms, I have, since my friend, Brock, likes to express his charm, pretty much scaring the girls, we came across. And everytime, either Misty, Max, or Brock's Bonsly, Brock was usually yanked away, prompting me to clean up his mess. It's probably why I became fast friends, with Duplica, Yolei, and even Kari." Nothing special? All, but Davis, felt convinced that he was just a naturally friendly young man. Davis still thought, he had to have gone the "extra mile," to get Yolei, in the same hot water with Ash.

"I don't know, man. You had to do something, to get to bathe with Yolei. I mean, as much as I want to contemplate T.F., on trying to sneak a peek, I could only imagine what you had to do, and I'm not sure if being yourself, can help me, get into a situation. I think, it's just that, I want to know what it'd be like to wash up with a girl, mainly Kari." Kari didn't bathe with him, much to Ash's knowledge. Little did Davis know, was that the girls were steaming with a bit of anger. He had been thinking about being nude, with nude girls, in a large bath. Ash saw them, and did a wise move: backing away. Davis saw the move, and suspected something was going...to hurt. He turned to see Yolei's and Duplica's eyes, blood red with anger. He tried to defend his words, by saying, it's natural for men to think like that, as he waived his arms in front of him. "It's a guy-thing, I didn't mean to offend you!" Uh, no dice. Wailing on Davis, the girls were marking their points, litteraly on him. After a while, Ash knew that they stalled too much time. He had to get going.

"Speaking of, we need to go." The humans entered the cavern, with the creatures, following in the middle, and the spirits, not far behind. The room in the cavern was growing, in which everyone was able to gather without sufficating someone. Soon enough, the group found themselves in front of a wall. The blue wall was wavy, like water. Was this...

"Is this the portal?" Todd wondered. Pikachu squeaked up, saying that this was what they found. Cody walked up, wondering if this wall was a wall, at all. He placed a hand on it. Then, the hand went through the wall. Everyone gasped. This was an unusual wall. Cody pulled his hand out. It was wet...wet with a certain kind of water.

"Ocean water," he pointed out. Ocean water? Were they under an ocean? Davis saw something wrong, and he was willing to make that note noticed.

"That doesn't make sense," he motioned. "How is the water, staying away from us? Shouldn't this place be full of water?" Good point. The water was not flowing into the cave. What was keeping the water, over there? A force field?

"The power, we possess, tries to keep other world items, like foreign waters, from contaminating RainBellian," Windalyr explained.

"If we didn't exist, this land would be flooded, and anything foreign could complicate matters, that we wish, we don't need to explain," Ergaia added.

"However, we can get you, to the other side, safely," Holion promised. They could use their help.

"We would like to go, over there," Duplica requested. "If Kari's over there, we can be done, soon enough." Everyone else nodded. There were ready.

"Very well, then," Aquos spoke up. "Windalyr..." Windalyr knew what he was going to say, and nodded to it. Both spirits rose their arms out, palms facing the group. Then, the palms were glowing blue and yellow, before a large bubble formed around the group. Then, the bubble began to float, as it entered the water wall. "Go, friends, and may your determination, find Kari." With those parting words, and the palms, glowing no more, the group entered the water. The bubble began to rise, in the water.

"Wonder where we're going?" Veemon asked.

("Not sure,") Pikachu shrugged. A minute later, the bubble hit the water's surface, into open air. The bubble burst. getting everyone into the water. Everyone found land, to get dried up on, and swam to the land. Ash, Davis and Ken crawled out, before helping the rest out. Everyone shook and strained the water from their clothes, as Ash tried to get the surroundings down. From his point of view, it looked like a pier. That's when he something amazing. He saw a faint green statue, in the distance. It looked like a crowned woman, about 200 feet tall. It held a torch, high in it's right arm, and a tablet in it's left, as it stared towards the land. There was no such statue, from where he was from.

"What is that?" he wondered. Duplica and Todd turned to the same direction, eyeing the statue. T.K. also saw it, and knew what it was.

"That's the Statue of Liberty," he named it. The Statue of Liberty? "We're in America." Wait...this wasn't where the Digidestined lived, was it?

"Wasn't your home in Odaiba?"

"It is, but that's in Japan. If I'm not mistaken, I believe, we're in New York." If Ash's detour wasn't distant before, he was far off the beaten path. Instead of going to Sinnoh, he, Duplica and Todd were not anywhere, where they were familiar with. Than again, the Digidestined were caught off-guard, with the new setting.

"How on earth, did we wind up in the U.S.A.?" Ken questioned.

"I don't know," Wormmon moaned. "I don't think, we saw this coming, in the first place." No one did. Despite the new area, T.K. had an idea. There was someone who could help them, get situated.

"Let's get to Mimi's house," he suggested. It seemed to be the only logical answer, in which everyone agree. As the group walked through, there were many buildings that covered the sky: apartment buildings, skyscrapers, businesses, stores, restaurants, you name it. It was leaving a lasting impression on Ash.

"I've traveled through many cities, through the years of training, but this has got to be the busiest place, that I've seen," he awed. That's when T.K. stopped. Why? It was like he remembered something that had slipped his mind, until Ash said something to trigger it. Everyone was wondering why he'd stopped.

"T.K.?" Todd asked.

"I completely forgot," T.K. muttered. What did he forget? If he remembered it, he couldn't have completely forgot. "This is the summer, where the first generation Digidestined are having the tenth anniversary of the first encounter of Digimon." Tenth anniversary, as in, ten years? That long? T.K. was a member of the first-gen, but he was with the second-gen.

"Weren't you a member of the fisrt-gen, T.K.?" Ash pointed out.

"Yeah, but Kari and I stayed home, for helping these guys." Todd and Duplica were wondering about what happened ten years ago.

"I think, we've got time, to listen to the tale of ten years ago," Duplica offered. T.K. thought it wouldn't hurt, to tell them of what happened.

"If you looked in a newspaper, sometime in 1995, you'd read about the possiblity of a terrorist bombing, around Hightonview Terrace, in Odaiba. However, me, Kari, and the other six original Digidestined would tell you, the real story. It started as Kari and her big brother, Tai, got a Digiegg. That egg had a Digimon, in which they raised together. One day, Kari decided to take a joyride on the wild Agumon, which caused destruction on a small scale. As Tai got to his little sister, Matt, Joe, Mimi, Izzy, Sora, and I saw Agumon digivolve to Greymon, in which it protected Tai and Kari, while fighting a bird, named Parrotmon. after Parrotmon was defeated, both Digimon ascended to the sky. We, eight, had no idea of what was to come, until four years later. Since then, we were all in charge of protecting the digital world." The Pokémon worlders were awe-struck. They had to deal with monster issues, before they had their adventures. The second-gen Digidestined had heard the story before, and they hardly reacted to it.

"I never would've thought, that you guys were dealing with monsters, before us," Ash hushed. Even Pikachu was stunned. Davis was anxious to get to Mimi's house, before too long. He saw a digital clock display, reading 4:26 P.M.

"Hey, T.A., how far are we, from Mimi's house?" Davis asked.

"About two hours," T.K. replied, instantly. So, they should be there in a little bit. "I'll let them know, we're on our way." He walked over to a payphone, which had no monitor. 'Luckily, I kept a few quarters, just in case.' When he dug into his pocket, he pulled out something more. He checked what he had, in his hand...'U.S. dollars, and cents, galore. How did I get this?' He was thoughtfully complaining about the money, he had. Quickly his mind had gone back to the call. He inserted two large coins, after he unhooked the phone, and dialed the number, 555-8472. He heard a dial tone, twice, before he heard a voice.

"Hello?" was the sound of a female southern belle. T.K. knew who it was, right away.

"Mimi, it's me, T.K."

"Hey, T.K. I thought you were in Odaiba. What are you doing in downtown Manhattan?"

"A few things came up, as well as having more of my friends join me. Listen, we'll be over there in a couple of hours, okay?"

"Sure thing. I'll let Matt know of your arrival. I'll see you soon."

"You, too." With that, T.K. hung the phone up, and rejoined the group, willing to tell the good news. "We can go." When that was announced, everyone nodded, and followed T.K. off, on their way to Mimi's house. 6:41 P.M. was the time, when the large group made it to a large white house, distant from a fence. This is the house? Looked more like a mansion.

"You've got to be kidding," Duplica happily screeched. Todd and Pikachu were amazed, as well. T.K. walked up to a speaker on the fence, and hit the doorbell buzzer.

"Mimi, we're here." Was Mimi coming out? Coming from the door, was a young woman, with pink hair, covered in star glitter. She wore a pink, sleeveless blouse, and blue, bell-bottom jeans.

"T.K., everyone, the gate's open," she noted, with the same voice from the phone. It was Mimi. Davis opened the gate, and everyone entered...except for Ash, who leaned on a brick pillar, staring into the oranging sky. Todd saw Ash, wondering if he was joining them.

"Ash, you've been invited," he mentioned, wanting the emotionally-exhausted trainer to join.

"Just, go in," he waived off. "I need sometime to think. I'll be fine." Believing him, Todd nodded, before joining the rest. Ash was alone, since Pikachu was anxious to see the other Digimon. He knew he couldn't go up to Kari's brother, and say that she had disappeared from the earth. That would make him so angry, someone would die. Maybe, he wanted to search the city, to see if she was somewhere around. "Kari, if you're around, give me a sign. Please." As he was wondering what to do, across the street, a young blond-haired, blue-eyed girl, about nine or ten, spotted Ash. She had a bright, tye-dyed t-shirt, and dark blue jeans. She was concerned about how Ash looked.

"Looks like he's been through a lot," she muttered to her. She thought about going to her, until she saw a pink bird, flew out of the doggie door. The bird had blue streaks, all around it's feathers. It spotted Ash and flew to the fence, clinging on the the gate with it's talons.

"Hey, there," it beaked like a girl. "I saw you, with Yolei and the rest. You okay?" Ash heard the female bird, and turned to it. He remembered a picture, from before, about this bird, and seeing it, confirmed who it was.

"T.K. told me, about you, Biyomon," he named. The bird was briefly stunned at how Ash knew her. He did mention T.K. telling him, so she calmed a bit. "In fact, he showed me, a photo, with the others." Biyomon made an understanding sigh. She knew that Ash would be trustworthy.

"I see. Can I-"

"Biyomon, who are you talking to?" a redhead female teen called out, cutting off the bird's words. She was wearing a white soccer jersey, and blue shorts. Her hair was just as short as Misty's hair, but it wasn't in a ponytail. She walked up to the gate, as Biyomon turned to her.

"Just, this guy, Sora. He was with the other Digidestined." Sora? As soon as she got around the gate, she saw Ash. She wanted to be nice to him, first off. When you compared sizes, Sora was about a foot taller than Ash.

"Excuse me. You doing all right?" Ash glared up, seeing Sora. This wasn't the brother, but maybe she would be more trustworthy.

"I don't know," he sighed. "A lot has happened around me, including the curse in my wrapped arm." Sora saw the sleeved arm. If it wasn't for Ash, saying about his arm, being cursed, she would've thought he had busted his arm. "Then, there's Kari. She's missing." Sora gasped. There was someone, in the house, who'd flip out, upon hearing that news. She turned to the house.

"Tai's inside. He cares too much for her, and saying that he would be mad about it, would be light." Oh, boy. Someone was going down in pain. Sora turned back to Ash, willing to know some information. "So, uh..." He decided to help, by telling her, his name.

"Ash."

"Right, Ash, how do you know Kari?" The one piece of proof was around his neck, Ash pulled Kari's whistle, from under his sweat-tee. Sora recognized the whistle. "It's Kari's, all right." Suddenly, there were sounds of crashes, coming from inside the house...with screams.

"How could you lose my sister, so easily?!" shouted a teen male. Ash and Sora had a feeling that a person, in the house would be upset at Kari's loss. They were thankful,, that they weren't in there.

"I take it, that was Tai?" Ash guessed.

"That was him," Sora answered. Soon enough, a tall teen, with wild brunette hair, opened the door, forcefully, and gave Davis, quite a heave-ho. Davis went flying, helplessly, into the fence, back first. That had to hurt.

"Don't come back without her, you hear?" he steamed. Davis writhed in pain. That's when Tai saw Sora, and Ash knew that he had to face the music. He did have something that had Sora, in it.

"There is something, with you and Tai, that you might need to see. It's a recording of my nightmare. It's a long story, and I have it here, on the disc." Ash muttered, as he pulled the disc from his bag pouch, and handed it to the closer Digidestined. Sora was surprised about the disc he had.

"A DVD?" she questioned the disc. Tai walked up, with a small orange dinosaur by him, to Ash and Sora, wondering what was occuring.

"Sora, what are you doing, out here?" he asked. "And who's that guy?" Sora knew, if Tai saw Ash, with that whistle, Tai would tear the trainer, to shreads. She quickly wrapped her arm around her friend, and spun him, away.

"Tai, listen. This young man has been through quite a bit, and I don't want you to damage Kari's trinket, that he's wearing. He also has something, he says, we're in a nightmare, he managed to record. Let him show, what he's got." Tai was wanting to know, what trinket, she was referring to.

"What trinket?" He looked at Ash, holding the whistle. Tai knew, immediatley. "The only reason, you could have her whistle, is that you had some sort of adventure, with her." Tai caught on to Ash, pretty quickly. Yet, he proceeded to explain.

"I did, about a year and a half, ago," he confessed. "As a matter of fact, I gave her, one of my caps, to fulfill the exchange." The older two remembered a baseball cap, back home.

"That was your cap?" Biyomon huffed. Ash turned to Biyomon, and nodded. Thinking that Kari may've been in the disc, Tai wanted to see it.

"If it involves us, I suggest, we all go in and see it," he growled. The others agreed, before going in, leaving Davis, lying on the ground, in pain. Inside, Ash saw a large group of people. Other than the younger Digidestined, Todd and Duplica, Ash saw Mimi, a blond teen, taller than T.K., a blue-haired male, with glasses, and a tall redhead male. The creatures, that were there, was a small, white sea lion, a walking weed-like green creature, with a flower for hair, a yellow horned creature, wearing a wolf pelt, and a flying magenta mecha-like bug, with green eyes. T.K. saw Tai nod to a DVD player, knowing that it was viewing time. Ash handed the DVD to T.K., who inserted the disc into the player. Suddenly, everyone tuned in to his nightmare. Tai, Sora and others saw the darkness of Ash's nightmare, even the moment, where Ash...let's not think about it. That night, Ash got a notebook, and started to write in it.

AUGUST 1- I MET WITH THE REST OF THE DIGIDESTINED, IN AN INTERESTING PLACE CALLED NEW YORK CITY. THIS WASN'T IN THE SINNOH REGION. IN FACT, IT'S NOT EVEN IN THE POKÉMON WORLD. I'M IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ON EARTH. THIS IS A NEW EXPERIENCE, BUT THE REAL EXPERIENCE HAPPENED TO BE SHOWING THEM THE NIGHTMARE, GARY AND TRACY HELPED GET ONTO THE VIDEO DISC. WHEN I TOLD THEM ABOUT HOW THEY EXTRACTED THE DREAM, THOSE WHO WERE ON IN MY DREAM WERE HORRIFIED, THAT THEY WERE GOING TO SHARE A DESTINY, THAT MAY SEAL MY FATE. HOWEVER, IF IT MEANS, SAVING KARI...LET IT BE WORTH IT.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...(Stay tuned. This author will make his makr in his own story)


	6. Full Court Darkness

_Chapter 6: Full Court Darkness

* * *

_For the first time, Ash, Pikachu, Duplica, and Todd met the entire lineup of the Digidestined, minus Kari, of course. Ash showed everyone the nightmare, stored on a disc and played on a DVD player. Duplica, Mimi, and Sora were horrified, at what they saw. It had Ash, Tai, Sora, Davis, Cody, Ken, Yolei, T.K., their creatures, and three more people, that were unidentified, due to the lack of color, that could've helped. When night fell, everyone was exhausted, and decided to get to sleep. Luckily, Mimi's house was huge, and had a lot of rooms, meaning that everyone could find a place to call a bed. Ash, on the other hand, couldn't fall asleep. The nightmares were affecting him, so much, he was beginning to fear it, even though, he viewed it, himself. 'What am I suppose to do?' he questioned himself. 'How can I sleep, when Kari's out there, somewhere, and my nightmare's still haunting me?' He was in a tight conundrum. Unbeknown to Ash, a Pokéball was rattling. Then, it opened, and Aipom came out. Seeing that Ash was trying to sleep, the Pokémon opened the door, quietly, and stepped outside, before closing the door. It walked to a light, it saw. What was that light? It was an overhead lamp, downstairs, over a round table. At the round table, Tai, Sora, and Mimi, as well as the blue-haired teen in glasses, listened to T.K.'s story, about how he and Kari met Ash, on RainBellian.

"...Afterwards, we returned home, and thought that we'd never see each other, again," T.K. wrapped up. The others were pretty awed about the story. Tai couldn't believe that his baby sister had fallen for someone that was as focused as a football quarterback, while the offensive line had failed to keep the defense from crossing into the pass pocket...and not hesitating.

"Why would my sister, go after someone, like him?" Tai groaned. From his point of view, T.K. would've been the perfect choice.

"I know how you feel, Tai, but, as a matter of fact, I, too, had fallen for a trainer." Once again, the others were at a loss for words. As proof, T.K. dug into his pocket, and pulled out the Cascade Badge, the badge for winning at the Ceruliean City Gym, Misty's home. "This is proof of it. She didn't come along, this time." From the sound of his silencing voice, T.K. wanted to be with her. T.K. wanted to be with Misty. The blue-haired teen scented that from the sound.

"You miss her, don't you?" he guessed.

"Yeah, Joe, I do. I guess, I shouldn't be so caught up, since Ash told me, that she's safe." The girls believed him, saying that she wasn't as important as Kari was. However, Mimi was pretty worried about Ash, and that nightmare, still haunting him.

"Still, for Ash to have Kari's old whistle," she moaned. "It's taking more of an effect, than most of us. The only one, who's just as concerned, is Tai." Sora knew that, too. This was about his sibling. However, the investigation needed to start, if they were going to recover Kari.

"We'll need to think of a way to get going on the search," Sora mentioned. "At the same time, we need to occupy Ash." T.K. and Joe saw a problem with that. Ash appeared to be dead focused on the missing Digidestined,

"Do you think, that Ash could be handled as easily as you want to believe?" Joe argued. "His relationship with her, seems unbreakable, and he could be searching from Miami to Seattle, in order to find her. By occupying him, is like saying we don't care about Kari." Tai was quick to defend Sora's words.

"Well, this is why, we're gonna have this, be Grand Central Station, and have Izzy scan the digital world," he answered. "If we tell Ash, that we're launching an extensive search for Kari, he'll know, that we're as serious, in finding her. If we can get him to rely on us, we should be able to scan everything, and help bring Kari, home." It seemed like the perfect plan to divert Ash from interfering in the search. T.K., then, thought of the only item, that felt should be in the discussion.

"There's a hitch, to it," he muttered. "His nightmare." The others turned their heads to the blond boy, knowing that he was on to something. Tai realized that the dream was going to be brought up. "I believe, Ash knows where Kari is, but isn't sure about where to go, to find her." Understanding this new detail, Tai was wondering why he didn't say that, earlier.

"If you know where it is, why didn't you say so?" Mr. Hope had a reason.

"Because, I can't access the dark world, like Ken, when he was the Digimon Emperor, and Kari." So, Kari's in the dark world? And what did he mean, to access it? "On the other hand, where we can open a gate, to the dark world, is beyond our expertise." There was a let down. Ken had lost his key, when he sided with the Digidestined, and Kari's key is still with her. If they find a gate to the dark world, how could they open it? While that questioned lingered in everyone's thoughts, Aipom returned to Ash's room. Morning rose, as the Digidestined, Duplica and Todd were waking up. Everyone filed into the kitchen, hoping to ready themselves for the day ahead. As Mimi and Yolei were breaking eggs for breakfast, the plant-like creature was wondering if it wanted to help.

"Mimi, what do you want me to do?" it asked. Mimi turned to the plant creature.

"Go see if Ash is awake, will you, Palmon?" she asked. Palmon nodded, and proceeded to the room, Ash was assigned to. When she got there, and opened the door, there was a problem: Ash was gone. Palmon was at a loss, unsure of what to do. That's when the orange dinosaur creature came by. Was he looking for Ash, too?

"Hey, Palmon," he huffed, running to the plant. "Have you seen Davis, anywhere?" Davis was gone, too?

"I haven't, Agumon!" Ash and Davis, gone? If they were able to run into each other, without any supervision...do we really need to ask? As for Ash, he was strolling through downtown, in the mid-morning crowd. Whether it was people, getting an early jump on some shopping, grabbing a fast breakfast, meeting friends for hanging out, or trying to get to work on time, the streets and sidewalks were suffocating to get through. Pikachu was in the hood of his sweat-tee, getting a good look at the people, walking by them. While walking, several kids saw the mouse, awing and wanted the Pokémon, for themselves. Pikachu understood why it was getting so much attention, but sighed, flustered by it. Stopping by a walk-thru coffee shop, Ash purchased two milk steamers: one cinnamon, and the other, crème de mente, for Pikachu. Continuing, Ash saw several teenagers, holding hands, like they were in love with each other. Eying them, reminded of himself with Kari, during the adventure in RainBellian, quite sometime ago. This sight reminded him of why he was here, in the first place. He continued throughout the city, when...

"Ash!" was the sound of Davis. Davis, Veemon and Duplica ran over to Ash and Pikachu. "T.J. said that you had a habit of moving around, a lot." He meant T.K., right? Ash thought that Davis should've been finding Kari, not hang out with Duplica.

"What are you doing, here?" he questioned. "Shouldn't you be looking for Kari, like I am?" Ash wasn't aware about the Grand Central Station plan.

"Izzy's taking care of that. He's doing a worldwide dragnet, and getting all the Digidestined involved. They also hired me to make sure, you don't interfere with the operation." A worldwide dragnet? Guess Izzy didn't wanted to leave no stone unturned. "Besides, you do look like you need to get some energy, out of your system." What did he have, in mind?

"Davis told me of a place, called Rucker Park, in the Bronx," Duplica suggested. "There are plenty of basketball players, who go there to work on their game. What do you say, we check it out?" Ash was too concerned about the search, to go out and have a good time. However, Davis did say that Izzy was organizing a global search, and Ash knew about how intelligent he was.

"I guess, I can go," he realized. "I still wanna keep on the search. Who knows? Maybe, she's there." There you go, Ash. Put some positivity into the peril in your life. A little while, later, the trio arrived, where there were hand fulls of basketball courts, many with fences and bleachers, which surround those courts. So, this was Rucker Park. They were seeing basketball players dribble, pass and shoot orange leather balls, into netted hoops, and spotting more players 'breaking ankles' on their opponents. All of the action, was leaving Ash, breathless. "Whoa!" As they toured the park, some of the fans got a good look at Ash. They had some interesting things about why he wore his sleeve.

"That kid must be a fan of Allen Iverson," one man said.

"No, it's more like Carmelo Anthony," another man reacted. Allen Iverson? Carmelo Anthony? Davis heard those men, amused at the comments.

"People think you're an NBA fanatic," he gloated to Ash. NBA? Ash wasn't really interested in knowing about who Allen or Carmelo were. Suddenly...

"Hey, you," shouted a brunette Hispanic boy. The trio turn to the young man, looking in his mid-teens and was wearing a black basketball jersey, with a logo of a spur on it. He was joined by a dark skin colored male, wearing a blue basketball jersey, with a logo of a horse's head on a basketball, and a blond girl, who wore a blue football jersey, with a blue star as the logo. Wait, two in basketball jerseys and one in a football jersey? "You look like fresh meat from the vendor. Try us out, if you got what it takes, homey!" A challenge?

"Seems like these guys are serious," Duplica acknowledged. Why were these guys challenging Davis and the two friends, he had?

"We, Rodeos, need someone to own," the dark skinner requested.

"You guys look more like pushovers, than something serious," the blond girl teased. Jeez, it seemed to be ready to boil over. Davis didn't appear impressed.

"Please, fellas, all I'm doing is showing my new friends, around," he tried to reason. "Like I have time to play with you." The Rodeos didn't like that response. Reacting, the three began taunting the other three, by acting as chickens, flapping folded arms, lifting their legs high, and making clucking noises. Oh, that drew the line. Davis spun around, mad as a bull. No one should be called a chicken, and get away with it. "That'll be the last time, you make fun of us! Let's rumble!" Soon enough, both groups arrived at a vacant court, where both backboards had a "7" on each. Court number seven. Davis, Duplica and Ash were wearing white basketball jerseys, with white undershirts, and had a logo of a red "W". In the middle of the court, a blond man, in a gold, thin, windbreaker suit, where he had a logo, too: a green oval, with a white "G," and a black woman, with black pony tailed hair, wearing black and white stripes, were discussing something private. They were pretty quiet about it. Then, the two broke away: the man walked over to the table, on one side of the court, while the woman retrieved a basketball, on the other side of the court. That's when the P.A. system was sounded.

"We have an exhibition match, in two minutes, on court seven," it voiced. "I repeat, we have an exhibition match, in two minutes, on court seven." As a crowd was forming, Ash saw Todd, taking a seat on the bleachers, behind him.

"Hey, Ash," he greeted.

"Todd, what are you doing here?" Ash wondered.

"Someone was spreading word that a guy with a sleeve was going to play a pick-up game, and the first thought was you. I guess I was right, huh?" No, Todd was lucky. Ash was willing to breathe a sigh of relief. Pikachu and Veemon would have someone watch over them. Quickly, he turned to the creatures.

"You, guys, can head over to Todd. We got this game to do."

("Will do,") Pikachu agreed.

"Good luck," Veemon cheered, with a fist pump. "We'll be rooting." With that, the creatures got around the fence. While Todd was getting his camera ready, The blond man approached Ash and the rest.

"You got your lineup sheet ready?" he asked. Davis handed the man a sheet, with the three names of their team, and a team name. Guess what the team name was. Warriors? Wild? War Hawks? None of the above. "Warp?" The man huffed a chuckle, like he was amused. "Well, I'm not arguing your team name. I mean, the name is a gust of wind, of a new direction. Well, when I call your names, let yourself be known." The three nodded. He returned to the table, as Davis got Ash and Duplica in a huddle. He had a game plan.

"We need to make sure, that we stay with our assigned man," he proposed. "I doubt that you need to be told, who you need to guard, Duplica." He knew that the blond girl would be matched up with the imitator trainer. "Ash, I'll take the Mexican. You have blackie." Ash couldn't argue with the idea.

"You got it, Davis," he allowed. Then, the blond guy got on to the court, with a microphone on hand. The festivities were about to start.

"Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo!" he stammered loudly. "This is Rucker Park, in Downtown Manhattan: the greatest outdoor spot for b-ball and beat music! I am your emcee, Peter Hamby, a.k.a., DJ Rockslide, bringing you, the action, here in court seven! With me, is special guest referee, WNBA star, Cheryl Swoops!" Cheryl waived to the crowd, getting cheers from the fans. "We've got young stars, shining for this pick-up game! The goal: 21 points, and victory by two!" To clarify, the winning team would score 21 points, with the addition that they would need a two point lead, at least, for the win to be official. If the score was tied at 20, and one team got the next point, the game would still continue. "Today's duel is between the Rodeos and the Warp. And now, here is the lineup! First off, for the Warp, Ash 'Underdog' Ketchum!" Ash stormed out, onto the court, with his sleeved arm, in the air. Fans of the sport cheered on the trainer..

("Go get them, Ash!") Pikachu roared.

"For the Rodeos, Travis 'Shareholder' Bigget!" The dark skin-colored boy, Travis, came out to the court, rolling his arms, like a log, going downhill. He and Ash met up at the center, and shook hands, the international sign of good sportsmanship.

"Good luck out there, Travis," Ash smirked.

"You, too, Ash," Travis replied, before breaking off. Peter was ready to continue.

"For the Warp, Duplica 'Copycat' Imito!" he loudly introduced. At least, someone got her surname, right. Duplica came out to the court, blowing kisses to the still electric crowd. Hey, they didn't really need Pikachu to charge themselves. "For the Rodeos, Kimberly 'Cowgirl' Conners!" The blond girl, Kimberly, came out to the court, with a fist in front of her face, showing that she was meaning business. Meeting mid-court, Duplica and Kimberly exchanged forearms.

"May the best team win, Ms. Copycat," Kimberly teased.

"May them, indeed," Duplica acknowledged, as they broke to join their teammates. Peter, once again, had the floor.

"The captain of the Warp, Davis 'Dominator' Motomiya!" he called out. Davis came onto the court, pounding his fist into his chest, like a drum. Some of the girls, on the bleachers, were calling for him, wanting a phone number, or a date. Who knows. "And the captain of the Rodeos, Diego 'Smackdown' Tagato!" The Hispanic, Diego, came out to the court, with his arms waiving around, trying to get the crowd more loud. Unlike the first four, Diego and Davis meanly glared at each other. Guess that whole "chicken" tease hadn't blown over. As Davis and Diego entered the mid-court circle, Cheryl entered the circle, as well, with the ball, at hand. It's tip-off time!

"Ready?" she questioned. With nods from both sides, she lobbed the ball in the air. Diego and Davis leaped up. With the better reach, Davis tipped the ball over to Duplica.

"And the game's under way! Imito gets the tip from Motomiya!" Duplica traveled down the court, dribbling the ball. Travis came to Duplica, for the defensive stop. Ash was guarded by Diego, while Kimberly was keeping Davis busy. Suddenly, Ash scrambled to Duplica, with Diego in pursuit. Then, Davis sidestepped Kimberly, going inside. Duplica tramped over to Ash, who was there to intercept the defender. Criss-crossing, Travis tried to stay toe-to-toe with the Ditto trainer...only to slam into Ash. Seeing the window, and Davis, Duplica bounce passed the ball to Davis, who did a lay-up, getting the ball into the net. Cheers rambled through the crowd, as the scoreboard showed "0-1." "Motomiya draws first blood, and the Warp is up, one to zip." Coming back the other way, the Warp lined up with their assigned targets, as Travis dribbled the ball, down the court. Arriving at the long range ark, Ash confronted Travis.

"You certainly fooled me, with that small size of yours," Travis complimented. Ash nodded to the comment, but kept focused. Just not focused enough, for Davis, though. Diego received Travis's pass, and faked out Davis, causing him to fall on his backside. Diego had an easy trip to the basket, and scored a lay-up.

"Tagato fooled Motomiya, with that cross fade, and even the game, one to one!" Let's fast forward to near the end of the game. It was a hard fought battle as the Warp and the Rodeos scored, blocked, picked, and faked throughout. Kimberly hit a short jump shot, over Davis, after Duplica was caught in a pick. The scoreboard read Rodeos 20, Warp 19. "The Rodeos can clinch a win with the next score!" Davis wanted to talk about the situation.

"Timeout!" he requested while forming a "T" with his hands. Cheryl blew her whistle, for her response.

"Timeout, Warp!" she called. Both teams returned to the benches, to rehydrate themselves.

"Down one point, the Warp want to create a plan," Peter reviewed. Ash and Duplica glared meanly at Davis. Why?

"Sorry about the passes," he murmured. "They got a little loose." Guess he was blaming himself for a few turnovers, he committed.

"Thanks to those blunders, we're one point away from a loss," Duplica stated the obvious. "The only thing, keeping us in the game, is Ash's long rangers." From the stats, Ash scored four shots from beyond the ark, which were worth two points per shot. When the team got closer, no one could hear their plan. Then, Cheryl blew her whistle.

"Let's go," she ordered. Both teams re-entered the court. "Warp ball!" The Rodeos set themselves at their side of the court, while Duplica was ready to inbound the pass. Another whistle from Cheryl, and the game was back on. Duplica passed the ball to Ash, who dribbled it down the court. Reacting, Kimberly confronted Ash, hoping to stall him. Going around the ark, Davis saw a chance to drive to the hoop. Ash saw him, and passed the ball. Davis turned too quickly, and, instead of grabbing the ball, he accidentally swatted it, back passed Ash. He scrambled, trying to save the ball from going out of bounds. He dove, snatched and flung the ball from the sideline...and into the basket! Holy Mary! The crowd was in shock and loud cheers flooded the scenery.

"Are you kidding me?!" Peter screeched in excitement. "Ketchum throws a possession saver, and it turns into a long range shot! Unbelievable!" As Kimberly, still being a good sportsman, er, woman, pulled Ash, back onto his feet, and patted him on the back, for such a miraculous shot. The scoreboard, now, showed the Warp were leading 21-20. Davis's team managed to get 21 points. However, they were up by one. For them to claim victory, they needed to get a two point lead. On the inbound pass, Diego and Travis strolled side by side, hoping to throw the boys off-kilter. Davis stood up, and told Ash to fall back, having him, join Duplica. Dribbling the ball, Diego was puzzled with Davis, going solo, as Kimberly lined herself in the corner of the court, hoping for a back door entrance. When Diego set himself to pass the ball to Travis, Davis spotted his opportunity. He dashed forward. Diego saw Davis, and changed his target to pass, to Kimberly, and threw it to her...only to be picked by Duplica. She dribbled the ball, up to the ark, where Travis was guarding. She passed the ball to Ash, now guarded by Diego, as Davis had to deal with Kimberly. Ash's back was turned to Diego. What was Ash going to do? He pivoted one way, and bounce passed the ball...to himself, around Diego! After releasing the ball, in a snap, Ash spun the other way, and snagged the ball. He drove to the basket and put up the easy lay-up. SWISH! The crowd roared in excitement, as the Warp score changed to 22. "Oh, man! Ketchum, what the heck was that?! That's gotta be the sickest fake out, I've ever seen! That's a huge gust of wind of a new direction!" Davis and Duplica mugged Ash, celebrating. They won the game, 22-20. "Ketchum, the Most Outstanding Player of the game, will have that maneuver on ESPN Sportscenter's Top Ten plays, for sure!" Both teams shook hands, for a well-played game. Kimberly confronted Ash, with a question in mind.

"Hey, if you got some time, maybe you can give this Texan, a date," she offered. Whoa, slow down, Ash! Ash smiled. It didn't appear to be a big deal.

"We'll see, Kim," he happily replied. Later, Ash and Pikachu left Rucker Park, as Davis, Todd and Duplica headed elsewhere. Still going around the big city, someone saw the two.

"Ash!" was called from Tai. Ash turned to Tai and Agumon, wondering what was going on.

"Tai, what's up? Any word on your sister?" Tai, sadly, shook his head. Ash knew that there was no news of where Kari was.

"Actually, Agumon and I want to show you, something in the DigiWorld." Ash was invited to the DigiWorld? "It's involving the marking on your arm." Knowing that there may be interesting info about the markings, Ash agreed to go.

"If it helps..." Tai nodded, before they entered a café. At a computer, the screen had a map of a world. After Tai was done typing, he brought out a rectangular device, and pointed to the screen. Tai turned to Ash, for an instruction.

"You might need to hold onto me." Ash nodded, and rested his hand on Tai's shoulder. Tai glared back at the screen. "Digiport, open!" There was a flash in the café. A minute after the flash, Tai, Agumon, Ash and Pikachu were gone. Suddenly, the four arrived at a snowy plains. Where were they?

"This is the DigiWorld?" Agumon was willing to describe where they were.

"This is where the Digimon live, and we've actually been living for longer than any human, who've met us," it mentioned. Tai had more information to share with the visitors.

"Every minute on Earth, is equivalent to a day, over here," he added. "We've discovered that fact, during the first adventure. At the time, we didn't know that Kari was one of us, Digidestined, but we ended up, seeing her, on the same day, that the others were transported here." So, afterwards, Kari joined eventually, right? Pikachu was amazed at the landscape of the place, feeling the ambiance...but now what was going to come out of his mouth.

"I find it, hard to believe, that you, Digimon, come from here," he sounded...like a human. It happened again. Pikachu was speaking like everyone else, and no one believed it. "Guess I have this voice, again." So, was the digital place, holding some sort of secret that had an effect on the electric mouse?

"Maybe, there's an adverse effect, when you come here," Agumon hypothesized. Hearing that, Ash wanted to test the theory, as he grabbed two of his Pokéballs.

"Let me see, if it's just Pikachu," he pondered. "Go, Psyduck, Aipom!" He opened the balls, having Aipom and Psyduck emerge from them.

"Is it lunchtime, already?" Aipom asked...like a human?

"Food...hunger," Psyduck groaned. That's when...the two found out they were talking like Ash and Tai...and screamed. Tai had a theory about why the Pokémon were talking like the rest were.

"When we entered the DigiWorld, our bodies are digitized, in which, we get a reconfiguration, to adjust to the computerized environment," he noted. The information seemed to sink in, for Pikachu.

"So, what you're saying, is that our bodies are automatically use to the land, once we cross over to here?" it guessed.

"More or less," Agumon replied. The info sunk into Ash, as well, but he was anxious to get to where Tai was taking him.

"While I'm humbled to understand my Pokémon, I do want to see that thing, you were wanting to show me," he pointed out. Tai nodded, knowing that the truth wasn't going to come to them. They traveled through the arctic-like tundra, until they came across a black rectangular flooring. There were different Digimon, that were protecting the place. There was a green, giant creature, with a nailed club, white hair, and shorts, a white bear, which looked like Frosty the Snowman, without the top hat, and tobacco pipe, and a creature of fire, shaped like a man. Tai recognized the Digimon.

"Ogremon, hey there!" Tai greeted the green creature. "Fridgimon, Meramon!" The flaming creature, Meramon, and the snow bear, Fridgimon, saw Tai.

"Hey, Tai," Fridgimon greeted. "Hey, Agumon." Meramon spotted Ash and the Pokémon, wondering who they were.

"Did you bring over friends?" it pondered. Tai was willing to respond.

"Yeah, I did," he replied. "This is Ash. I brought him here, to see BlackWarGreymon." Who? Ash stepped up and waived a hello. "This is the seal of BlackWarGreymon. He was...more than a virus Digimon." Ash was a bit stunned, by the news of this BlackWarGreymon. He was told that virus Digimon was a threat to this world, so why would Tai refer a threat as more?

"Is there a story behind it?" Pikachu wondered. There must've been a story, because Tai and Agumon nodded. They were ready to start, as Aipom and Psyduck were willing to pay attention.

"Some time ago, probably after your trip, with Kari and Gatomon, there were two virus Digimon, named Aracnimon, and Mummymon, that roamed around the world, using Ken's control spires to create Digimon. As Ken joined us, Aracnimon used an ability called Spirit Needle, and used it on the so-called useless spires. Already backed to a wall by us, she used 100 spires, and created BlackWarGreymon, in order to destroy us. Instead of listening to the Digimon, who brought him into the world, he decided to go like the wandering warrior." The wandering warrior? Ash knew about wandering people, considering that he was one, and that he had ran into many of them, during his career as a trainer.

"He traveled all around, for the mightiest Digimon, that could beat him," he answered. "Otherwise, they go on, without being satisfied, and have a depressing death." Tai believed him...for good reason.

"That's right. When he escaped onto Earth, he confronted Agumon, as his Mega form, WarGreymon. They were evenly matched. Satisfied, he wanted to assist us, but, when he tried to protect Cody, he suffered a fatal blow. In his last effort, he tried to seal access to the dark world. From what T.K. had told me, last night, you and Pikachu were able to enter the dark world." That was when a school of NeoScubamon kidnapped Kari, in which Ash had gone out, and saved her, back on RainBellian, while T.K. and Misty were consumed by a sleeping powder. Ash knew that Tai was wanting to know why.

"Your sister was in danger, when I escaped a strange substance, which knocked T.K. out. I was able to rescue her, and in payback, she rescued me and my Pokémon from a giant sea Digimon named Dragomon." Tai heard that same thing from T.K., last night. He smiled, knowing that he was there to protect Kari.

"I do, want to thank you, for watching over her." With that, both walked up to the seal. That's when the seal lit up. Then, a figure appeared. It was a dark robot-like creature, with metal claws, and pipes, sticking out of it's chest. The head had a helmet, with blond hair, sticking out of the back. It looked almost human-like. It peered down at the humans.

"I am BlackWarGreymon," it announced. "I am a Digimon, created by the power of the control spires. Why have you come?" Tai knew that he was able to explain the situation to the dark Digimon.

"BlackWarGreymon, I have brought someone, who may be possessing a power of darkness." Tai signaled Ash to come forward. Tai was willing to tell the spirit, about the trainer. "He's been going through a nightmare, that doesn't want to leave him alone, and he's also received a tattoo-like mark, underneath the sleeve." Ash showed the sleeve to virus spirit. BlackWarGreymon felt something about the arm, but wasn't sure about what it was. He needed to see that marking.

"Remove the sleeve." Tai knew, not to mess around with someone like this virus. His motioning head told Ash, to do what he was told. Ash removed the sleeve, showing the dark marking. BlackWarGreymon felt even more unsteady, like it felt a presence, like no other. What was this presence? The rouge wanted to see a demonstration. "Ogremon, come." Obeying, Ogremon stepped up. "Boy, dress the sleeve, and punch Ogremon." Wait...Ogremon didn't like the idea, and for good reason.

"Wait a second, BlackWarGreymon," it screeched, as Ash put his sleeve back on. "Are you sure, you wanna do this?" The spirit never made a move, or motion to say that he wasn't sure. "If you weren't dead, I'd surely pound that metal hide of yours." Orgemon braced for impact, by crossing his arms, in front of him, like an X. With the wind up, Ash cocked his arm, before throwing it out. The punch hit Ogremon, but it only was a glancing blow, not hurting the Digimon. Ash shook off some small pain, from the punch. It seemed that Ogremon was worried over nothing. "What was that? That was some punch...for a kid!" Ogremon laughed that he was just fine. Now, BlackWarGreymon wanted to see it again...without the sleeve.

"Once more...no sleeve, this time." Ash nodded. He removed the sleeve, again, showing the marking. Ogremon wasn't as serious, about the attack.

"Oh, please, if that punch wasn't anything, before, all he's gonna do, is break is arm." He should have been serious. He didn't cross his arms, as Ash cocked his marked arm, again. "I'd like to see you try to move me!" Wish...granted. Ash punched the Digimon. The power of the arm, added tremendous force, as the punch sent the virus-type, flying. The other Digimon, Tai, Psyduck and Aipom were in shock. Ash sent Ogremon, with a punch from the cursed arm.

"What a hit!" Psyduck beaked in amazement.

"I'll say," Aipom agreed. "You don't wanna be at the business end of that blow!" BlackWarGreymon was impressed, but concerned.

"The power, you've obtained, is frighteningly strong, but it's still dormant," he pointed out. Ash was wondering how it was still weak. If he was able to send Prof. Oak, and Ogremon flying, how was it still dormant?

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"It's true, that you were able to send Ogremon off, easily, when you could've killed him." Gulp! K-k-k-kill? Ash was horrified. He could've killed the Digimon? "Your power is rather weak, but if you awaken the power, you would have the power to end lives. You've been blessed with this power for a reason." Ash might not be left with a choice. He wanted to know how that power could be released.

"How can I bring out it's power?"

"That I cannot provide. This is something, you have to figure out, for yourself." Either BlackWarGreymon had no knowledge of the power, Ash had, or did know, but didn't want to bring it up, but whatever the reason, he was tight-lipped about it. "I cannot spend any more time. I have to help protect the world, even though, my destiny won't be resolved. Farewell..." With that, the spirit faded off. Ash had more problems, than ever, before. His arm was capable to cause lethal harm, and Ash was with that weapon of massive destruction. Pikachu stepped up, trying to ease his tension.

"Ash," he called. Ash looked down to his mouse. "No matter what happens, I will be at your side." Ash believed him. He was the only living thing, he could trust. Aipom and Psyduck nodded, saying that they were with him, all the way.

"Thanks, Pikachu," he teared. Tai was ready to go back home, and see if any progress was made, with Izzy.

"We should get back, home," he announced. Ash nodded, also ready to rest. Tai, then, turned to Fridgimon and Meramon, saying goodbye to them. "You, guys, take it easy, alright?" The Digimon nodded and waived bye to the departing group, heading back to New York. When they got home, Ash got on his journal, and started to write in it.

AUGUST 2-SEARCH FOR KARI IS STILL ON. TO LEARN THAT MY ARM WAS A LEATHAL WEAPON IS A SCARY OBSERVATION THAT I HOPE I DON'T LIVE THROUGH. STILL, IF I COULD USE THIS TO RESCUE KARI, THEN, MAYBE, I CAN USE THIS LATENT POWER AND LOOK FOR HER, BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, I FEAR FOR THE SAKE OF MY POKÉMON. THEY'RE THE LAST THINGS, I WANT TO HURT FOR NO REASON. I HOPE, WE FIND HER SOON, FOR THIS NIGHTMARE, TO EASE.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	7. Children of the Distressed Era

Chapter Disclaimer: I do not own Pani Poni Dash or ESPN.

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_Chapter 7: Children of the Distressed Era

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_Night time roamed around the Big Apple, but the city, itself was like the day time: so many cars, and people strolled throughout the streets. No matter where, or when, you go into New York City, getting to your appointed destination was an adventure. However, something was skipping over the roofs, like a ninja. It was in all black, with an unusual tail. Timeout...ninjas don't have tails. As it was skipping over the rooftops, a sound of shattering was overheard. Sounded like someone was breaking into a building...and it came from somewhere nearby. The tiny ninja hopped over to where two large men, wearing ski masks, entered a closed department store, through a broken window. Burglary. The men were snatching brand-name shirts and pants, some as expensive as $295, each. The ninja had to act. Suddenly, carrying arm fulls of clothing, the men came out through the same window. "Hurry!" one of them urged. That's when they were bombarded with numerous stars, showering onto them, making the thieves stop. As the ninja fell, it's tail was glowing brightly. BOOM! It cold-cocked one, across the forehead. It spun back, with that glowing tail, as the struck burglar fell to the ground, knocked out. It sprung and slammed that same tail, into the gut of the other one. The impact was so hard, no amount of body fat could cushion that strike, as well as knock the wind out of him. Then, the little ninja heard sirens. Police were coming. It climbed up the side of the building, up to the roofs, disappearing from sight. Police cars stopped at the front and gone around to find the burglars, out like lights. With them, were the stolen clothes. The officers handcuffed the suspects, arresting them, wondering who stopped these two big bad men, so easily. Was this ninja, an assistant to justice? The next morning, Ash was awake, and watching the news.

"Our last story, in this half-hour," a female reporter started. "People, basically, need to, at least, graduate high school, before they go to college. Well, a nine-year-old girl has been granted a chance, to go, this fall. Rebbecca Miyamoto, a child of an American father and a Japanese mother, will attend classes as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, after her I.Q. Test, revealed her to have an I.Q. level of 231, which is remarkably high." The TV showed a picture of the blond child from two chapters ago. So, that's Rebbecca. Ash thought back to the other night.

"I think that's the same girl, I saw, when I first got here," he remembered. It's kind of funny, with the flip-flop of Rebbecca's and Davis's last names: Miyamoto, Motomiya...never mind. Ash got up and walked over to the door, ready to step out. That's when Joe, from the kitchen, saw Ash, ready to leave.

"Hey, Ash," he called, stopping Ash, a foot from the door. He turned to Joe, wondering what he wanted. "Where you heading off, to?" Ash was still willing to find Kari, even though, he was told that Izzy was providing a worldwide dragnet, to search for her.

"I'm going to continue the search for Kari, on my own." Joe thought he would be wasting time.

"Izzy is still waiting word on the other Digidestined, so, trust us. We'll find her, soon enough." Ash nodded, but still, wanted to go out and look for her. Joe thought of something, for Ash, to pass the time. "By the way, I was wondering, if you wanted to join me, at my summer job." Joe had a summer job? Ash gave a thought on the invitation. "You can even bring your Pokémon, with you." What job allows you to bring creatures? If it meant that Pikachu was allowed to come along, he guessed it couldn't hurt.

"Sure, why not?" Joe was pleased with the acceptance. That's when the sea lion heard about the invitation. It seemed happy, that he wasn't going to be the only creature, that was going with Joe.

"Thanks, Ash," it sighed happily. "I was gonna start thinking, that the kids may be bored of me." Wait, kids? Joe chuckled a bit, thinking that it was a joke.

"Don't worry, Gomamon," he reassured. "They're not bored of you, at all." So, what was this job, with kids, involved? He turned to Ash, seeing if he was ready to go. "So, you set?"

"Yeah, let me get Pikachu," he agreed, before going to grab his mouse. After retrieving his Pokémon, he and Joe, with Gomamon and Pikachu, hopped on a bus, and traveled quite a ways away. Finally, the two arrived at their location. It was a hospital. A hospital? "Don't tell me, this is where you work, is it?" Joe worked at a hospital? He was a doctor?

"It's not as bad as you think. I work as a nurse and attend check-ups on the younger patients, who are in ICU." ICU is short for Intensive Care Unit. Ash was astonished with Joe's position, but wanted to laugh at the title, he was given. He thought nurses were females, like Nurse Joy. Entering the hospital, Ash and Joe were greeted by the receptionist: a woman in her mid-40s, wearing a name tag, saying Nurse Williamson.

"Good morning, Mr. Kido," she chimed. Joe waived, as he got to the desk. Guess he was pretty popular with the older folk.

"Gretchen, it's okay to call me, Joe. I did bring someone to assist me, today." Ash stepped up, and shook Gretchen's hand. "Ash, this is Gretchen Williamson, one of the senior nurses. She's been here for 20 years."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Gretchen," Ash spoke softly.

"Likewise, Ash," she returned. That's when she saw Pikachu. "Oh, what a cute little mouse!" Pikachu blushed from the comment. Then, she gave a clipboard of papers to Joe. "Here's your patients, today."

"Thanks," Joe accepted. Gretchen, then, thought that Ash would need something, for seeing the patients.

"Ash, follow Joe, to get a doctor's gown, in the locker room. You might need to look the part." Ash nodded. Dress up as a doctor seemed childish, but they were going to meet children, so, it's evened out. After entering the locker room, Ash removed the sleeve, so that he could get the teal, long-sleeved gown on easily. Once dressed, Ash and Joe, with the creatures, started to make their rounds. Gomamon was reading the list of patients on the clipboard. Who was first?

"We should be near by Julia Merran's room," he read. "She's a 13 year old, who's recovering from having her tonsils removed." Having your tonsils removed is not fun. They arrived at room 204, where they saw a redhead girl, with brown eyes, and a large gauze over her throat.

"Hey, Julia," Joe greeted. Julia saw the boys, happy to see someone come to her. "I'm Nurse Joe Kido." The patient nodded, accepting the Digidestined/nurse.

"Hi, Joe," she tried to speak. Her voice was pretty hoarse, probably from the operation.

"Don't speak too much, okay? You've got to let your throat rest." Julia smiled. She knew that she was having trouble speaking, since her surgery. That's when she saw Ash, wondering who Joe's companion was, and pointed to him. Joe knew that she was curious of his friend. "That's my friend, Ash."

"Hi, Julia," Ash introduced. "How are you doing?"

("You look okay, from my point of view,") Pikachu squeaked. Julia giggled a little, but stopped. Her throat began to hurt. Poor girl. Ash saw how much pain, that throat was bothering her. That's when Joe had an idea. He grabbed a white board and marker, and gave it to Julia. If she couldn't use her voice, she could use this, to write what she wanted to say. She began to write on the white board. Ash understood why Joe brought out the white board. Finally, Julia was done writing, and showed it to the boys.

"That's a cute mouse," she wrote. "What's its name?" She was talking about Pikachu. Ash was willing to answer her question.

"His name is Pikachu," he replied. "We've been together for a long time." Amused, Julia smiled, before writing, again. Soon, she was done and showed Ash what she wrote.

"Can I hold him?" Ash nodded, as Pikachu hopped onto her bed. Julia reached an arm out, and began to pet the ears of the mouse. He was enjoying the petting, and she smiled. Soon enough, she got back to writing. When finished, she held it to Ash. "Thanks, Ash. Is it all right, if I rest now?" Seemed like Julia wanted to be alone. Joe did have a schedule to keep.

"Of course," Joe replied. Before Pikachu hopped off, Julia gave the Pokémon a kiss in the circled cheek. Oh, that was sweet.

("Thanks,") Pikachu reacted, as it blushed. Soon enough, as she waived good bye, Ash and Joe exited her room. Then, she fell asleep. As the boys continued, Gomamon read the next patient on Gretchen's list. Who was it?

"Next, is Brett Alvinson," he read. "Age ten, who's in the hospital, after getting involved in a drunk driving collision. The car, Brett rode in, was t-boned in the passenger side, in which he was badly injured." In a sense, an idiot, who had too much to drink, had the intention of getting behind the wheel. Running a red light, from a statement, also in the clipboard, the DUI driver slammed into the passenger side, severely injuring this Brett. Also, in the statement, the DUI driver cursed at them, for some stupid reason. As Ash and Joe entered room 301, they saw a heavy dark colored boy, with hazel eyes. He was wearing bandages, wrapped around his head. So, this was Brett.

"Hey, Brett," Joe greeted. Brett heard him, and turned from the TV to the boys. "How are you doing?" The kid smiled, like everything was good.

"Still some pain in my arms, but I'm chillin'," he answered. "At least, you're not like that big guy, who hit me. I don't know why, he hates blacks." The DUI driver hated blacks?

"Don't worry about it. He's in jail, and you'll be all right." Brett nodded. When he saw Ash, he was surprised. Why?

"Hey, you were on Sportscenter!" What? Brett looked at the time. It was 9:50 A.M. "You're just in time." He turned up the volume on the TV. The screen showed a black guy with a pencil thin mustache, and glasses. Under the black guy, was a name: Stuart Scott. The other one was a bald white guy, with glasses, as well. Under him, was his name: Scott Van Pelt. As they were reviewing the best plays of yesterday, Scott had the even numbered plays to talk about, while Stuart had the odd numbered plays. It was time for the second best play.

"Number two, from Rucker Park," Scott started. "Ash Ketchum, the underdog." It was the shot when Ash, yesterday, tried to save the ball from going out of bounds. "And this is nuts." Ash saw himself, chucking the ball from the sideline, and into the basket. Stuart yelled a surprising breath. "Not even LeBron James could match that shot." Joe and Gomamon were stunned. That was Ash, doing that?

"Someone tell me, that didn't happen," Gomamon awed.

"Number one, from the same game, and the same Ash," Stuart spoke. "And, I ain't gonna say nothing, but...this ain't right." It was the crossover, he did on Diego. Ash saw the footage, stunned that he was able to do something like that. "He turned that sideline saver into a foreshadow!"

"That's insane," Scott shrieked.

"It was also, the game winner. His team won 22-20." After that, Brett pressed the "MUTE" button, silencing the TV. Joe and Gomamon were wondering where he learned such moves.

"I thought Dr. J had some slick moves," Joe remembered. "How did you..." Ash scratched his head, and laughed. Was he hiding a secret?

"To be honest, it was a spur of the moment," he admitted. Wait...he just did it? He was lucky.

"Still, bro, that was some sweet move," Brett motioned. "Maybe, when my right side is better, you can teach me a few of those moves." It seemed that Brett was an avid fan of basketball. Ash thought that it wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Yeah, there you go." After sometime with Brett, Ash and Joe were ready to move on. They waived good bye, to the kid-in-recovery, and exited the room. So, who was our next patient?

"Next up is Hope Van Acer," Joe read. Since joining, Ash was curious about this one.

"Is she coming from surgery?" he guessed.

"Actually, she'll be going into it." Going into surgery, not coming from it? What's her story? "She's suffering from a vision disorder, in which her sight had been worsening, for a few years. I heard, without treatment, she would suffer permanent blindness." Oh, dear. Poor Hope. They reached room 321, where a young girl, with long, snowy white hair, was sitting up, with her eyes closed. There was a strong sunlight, illuminating the room. As Joe reached for the doorknob...

"You can come in," she allowed. Joe and Ash walked in, and saw the girl, staring at the wall in front of her...if her eyes were opened.

"Hey, Hope. How are you doing?" She turned to the boys, still with her eyes closed, with a big smile.

"Is that you, Dr. Kido?" she asked. She must have heard that they were coming. How else would she have known? Joe shot a chuckle. She must have thought Joe was a doctor, more experienced than a nurse.

"It's Nurse Kido, still." Hope giggled. Suddenly, she sensed something. Was it Ash?

"Did you bring a friend?" Yep, she did sense him, with her eyes closed. Joe was willing to introduce Ash to Hope.

"Well, a few." ...And Ash's Pokémon. Joe turned to the trainer, hoping that he didn't need help to greet her. He stepped up, past Joe, ready to speak.

"Hi, Hope," he softly started. "I'm Ash." Hope thought that his voice was charming. Ash began to blush a bit. Maybe, he thought her laugh was adorable. "I think I came on, a bit strong." Maybe not. Hope, calming from her laugh, shook her head.

"If it hadn't been for my eyes, I would see the same amount of cuteness, from your voice." Well, she thought Ash was cute. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Who was it? "Are you friends with Ash and Nurse Kido?"

"Actually, only Ash," corrected Peter, who was carrying a basketball into the room. Ash was surprised to see Peter, here than back at Rucker Park.

"Hey, Peter," Ash called. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be commentating some games?" Peter was willing to explain, why he was at the hospital.

"The committee gave me a break. Besides, what's wrong with coming down to visit these kids?" Well, nothing, really. Joe was wondering who this person was.

"Ash, you know him?" he questioned.

"Yeah, he was the emcee from the game, we saw on Sportscenter," Ash corrected.

"That's right. I'm Peter Hamby, or DJ Rockslide to the guys, I work with," he introduced. "I, also, was visited by an interesting coach, namely from Tennessee University. Got her autograph." Who? "So, why are you here, Underdog?" Ash was speechless, unlike Hope, who giggled some more, hearing his nickname.

"Well, I was asked to join Joe, here, for his rounds. Met some nice people." Peter nodded, expecting for that result to occur. "By the way, you said that the coach, you ran into, was from Tennessee. Who was he?" Little was Ash expecting, that the coach in question, was not a male.

"Patrica Summit, a great coach, for over 25 years, for the Lady Volunteers." It was a woman. When Ash heard the female name, he felt a little dumb, but, was a good sport about it.

"Mr. Hamby, could you tell me that story about you, trying to escape the hospital, that one time?" Hope asked out of the blue. Wait a sec...Peter tried to escape a hospital, once? That...that can't be true...can it?

"You didn't like hospitals?" Gomamon guessed. Did he hate, going to the hospital?

"It wasn't that I didn't like hospitals, I was more of a home secured toddler, back 20 years." Okay, so it wasn't the hospitals, but the fact that he wanted to stay at home. "I was only two-and-a-half, when I was scheduled to have open heart surgery done, to correct a blood-flow issue, in Milwaukee. Back then, my parents said that I was a pathic person, always seeing myself, going from Point A to Point B. So, one night, I tried to get out of the hospital, not once, not twice, but three times." Ash heard his tale, amused about his little hospital breakout attempts.

"You must have been quite an adventurous child, back then," he mentioned.

"Absolutely. However, I was caught, before going outside. The next morning, my grandma visited me, with a pair of socks, with small bells, knitted to them. I thought that the socks, at the time, were the coolest things, I got for a 'Get well, soon' present." Joe and Ash were awed by the story. This young man was quite an escape artist...if he was able to escape. Hope was pleased with the story.

"Every time, I hear that, I imagine myself as Peter," she pointed out. That's when she opened her eyes, exposing shady gold eyes. "I wish, I was as adventurous. I do envy him." Ash and Joe started to feel her sorrow. She wished she was like Ash, or Joe, or Peter, and go out, do whatever they felt like. Ash walked up to Hope, with a Pokéball, in hand. What was his intention?

"You know, there are people, who have adventures, without good eyesight," he consoled. "Even the Zubat, I have, had been through a bit." He opened the Pokéball, bringing out Zuby. Hope saw it, with her diminishing eyesight, and held out her hands. Zuby fluttered down, and landed. Seeing how cute it was, she petted the red bat Pokémon. She softly giggled, as the boys watched on.

"I'd like to know where you got that bat from," Peter suspiciously wondered. "However, I should be getting back to the courts, soon." Ash nodded.

"Take it easy, Rockslide." With that, he placed the ball on the drawer, before walking out. Ash felt like he needed to move forward, too. Joe knew that Ash wanted to go.

"If you want, Ash, you can leave," he offered. "But, is it all right, if Pikachu and Zubat are with me?" Joe was wondering, if he could show Ash's Pokémon to the other kids. Ash thought that the sight of Pikachu, would bring the same comfort to other kids wasn't a bad plan.

"Okay. You two, be good for the rest of Joe's patients." Pikachu and Zuby sounded in agreement. Upon their replies, Ash accepted that, and waived, hoping to see them, soon. Joe was in charge of the Pokémon. About a half-hour later, Ash was out of the hospital, and walking aimlessly throughout the suffocating streets. Some sort of word, any kind of word. Ash was hoping to see Kari, no matter how long or far he had to go. Davis, Joe, and Tai tried to have him remain patient, while the others were issuing a Digidestined dragnet. After some time of wandering, he saw...bouquets of flowers, wreathes, messages, all strung amongst a chain-link fence. Behind the fence, was debris of a fallen building. What happened to the building? Construction vehicles roamed throughout the caged-off area. Then, Ash saw a black plaque, hanging on the fence. When he got to the plaque, he read what was on it.

HERE LIES THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, PASSENGERS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, FLIGHT 11, & UNITED AIRLINES, FLIGHT 175, WHOSE LIVES WERE LOST IN THE TERRORIST ATTACKS ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. WE HONOR THOSE, WHO TOOK ACTION ON UNITED AIRLINES, FLIGHT 93, WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES, TO PROTECT MORE AMERICANS FROM A GRIM FATE, EDGED IN THE HEARTS OF MANY WITNESSING AMERICANS, ON A DAY, THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY.

Was this, World Trade Center? What was left of it? Ash couldn't believe, that this was a famous worldwide building. All those lives...why? Terrorism, for what reason? Then, Ash remembered something from before...like, a year and a half, ago. 'This was what T.K. was talking about. That 9/11. This was when Mimi was suppose to be on a flight to Los Angeles, if not for her illness. Unaware to Ash, T.K. approached the trainer from behind.

"So, you've found it," he motioned. "I thought you would." Ash didn't need to turn around. Hearing him was good enough to know that T.K. was right there. "This was the scene, of what terrorists were able to do." Ash looked on, in even more disbelief. How could someone, be able to commit such an act on humanity?

"What...happened, on 9/11?" Here was the story, in T.K.'s words, of what happened, on that fateful day.

"Terrorists of al-Qaida, from a country, called Afghanistan, had gone to the airport, for the start of the operation. There were teams that boarded four commercial planes, which left the runways, accordingly. Soon after the departures, they made their move. They threatened to kill everyone who opposed them, with box cutters. Two of the planes hit the towers of the World Trade Center, while another plane hit the Pentagon, in Washington, D.C." That didn't sound like that was from flight 93.

"What about the fourth, flight 93?" What was different about the last plane?

"According to investigators, the hijackers of the last plane wanted to target the White House, where they believed that the president was residing. That was when the passengers took action, and fought the hijackers, to the end. The last plane crashed into an open field, in Northeast Pennsylvania." So, the people of the last plane, became heroes, and prevented more of the tragedy. Then, T.K. had more. "I bet, you've met a young man, named Peter Hamby, right?" T.K. was right.

"Yeah, we ran into each other, at the hospital, just a couple hours ago." So, why did the Digidestined bring up Peter?

"When he was a high school senior, back in Wisconsin, he heard about the attacks. As he was learning about the tragedies, his peers were poking fun, about the many, that had died. He became so angered about the callousness of his peers, he got out of his class, and gone to the guidance office, where he saw the footage." Guess Peter was pretty sensitive about people, dying, for an act of terrorism. "He told Mimi, about it, at this exact spot. The only thing, that he was feeling okay about, was when he saved a classmate from serious injuries, when she was having a seizure." Peter saved a life? Ash did feel rather pleased that Peter was a hero, even though, these peers had made jokes about the terror, that day. After some time, staring at the aftermath of the World Trade Center, Ash and T.K. decided to head back to Mimi's house. Back there, Ash saw his Pokémon, even Pikachu, trying to caress Gatomon, still worried about Kari, as the rest were relaxing. From Izzy, news about Kari, was the same: no sign.

AUGUST 3-AS THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR THE MISSING GIRL, I'VE LEARNED ABOUT THE PAIN OF AMERICA. TERRORISM, SUFFERING, AND ALL SORTS OF BAD ITEMS THAT HAVE GONE ON ABOUT 4 YEARS, MAYBE, EVEN LONGER. HOWEVER, I WILL CONTINUE THE SEARCH.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	8. Cats of a Different Calibur

Chapter Disclaimer: I do not own Gunsmith Cats.

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_Chapter 8: Cats of a Different Calibur

* * *

_Mimi's house was quiet. All, inside, were sound asleep. Not a peep, a wandering eye, a twitching pinkie finger...nothing. Not even in Ash's designated room...which he wasn't in. Instead, he had perched himself on the rooftop, staring at the night, cloudy sky. Thoughts about Kari, the still missing Digidestined, began to flood Ash's mind, as he was willing to go and search...but where? The other Digidestined had told him that Izzy was issuing a dragnet, to find the girl. If necessary, he would need to leave New York, to look. As he tried to think with a clearing mind, a blue, late model, Ford Viper rolled up to the gate. Ash wasn't paying attention to the Ford, as two young women stepped out. One was a grown woman with long, curly dark brown hair, wearing a formal flannel shirt with a red neck tie, under a light brown jacket, a stretchy, black short skirt over darkened pantyhose, and a pair of black low-heeled stilettos. The other was more of a blond teenager, wearing a red sweater, tan skirt, and basketball high-tops.

"Rally, why did you stop, here?" the blond teen asked her older companion.

"I just want to make sure, he isn't gonna try to commit suicide," the older one, Rally, responded. She walked up to the gate, willing to call Ash down. "Excuse me!" Ash heard Rally, and turned to her. If Ash _was_ willing to jump, she wasn't going to let it happen. "What are you doing, on the rooftop?" Ash wasn't sure if he needed to reply, to a complete stranger. However, his welcome to New York had been promising, so maybe, talking to her wasn't going to hurt.

"Just thinking about all sorts of stuff," he answered. Rally wasn't too satisfied. She would like a closer look at him.

"Why don't you come down, and share some of it?" Ash thought about it, for a second. She seemed like a caring young woman, plus, there was a ladder, nearby. Guess, he used it to get on the roof, in the first place. Ash climbed down the ladder, and walked over to the gate. "We just want to make sure, that you weren't suicidal." Ash...suicidal? No, that can't be right, can it?

"Nah, I wouldn't do that. I've got too much to forward to, and besides, I've lived through bigger jumps, than that." Oh, sure, raise the bar, a little. When Ash was at the other side of the gate, the blond thought she recognized the trainer, somewhere.

"Hold the phone," she hushed. "I thought I saw you, somewhere. You were on Sportscenter's Top Ten plays, yesterday morning." The time was 1:32 A.M., so, it would make sense. Rally, on the other hand, wasn't all that amused.

"Okay, May, you don't have to be that excited," she sighed. "I'm not, as thrilled about sports, as you are." The blond was named May? Ash was caught a bit off-guard. This was a new May, he met.

"So, you're May, huh?" he wondered.

"Yup. I'm May Hopkins, and that's Rally Vincent," she introduced. "We're from Chicago, Illinois, on a visit." Oh, so they were visiting?

"Well, it's nice to meet you."

"Right, Ash Ketchum." Ash sighed, learning that these two, knew him, beforehand. If there was one person, to blame, it might, as well, be Peter. Suddenly, Rally had an idea to pass the time.

"Why don't we, all, grab a midnight snack?" she offered. A place to eat? "I know a diner, that's open 24/7." Well, knowing about the restless city, there would be places that would be open at all times.

"I guess," Ash belched. That's when the three entered the Ford Viper, and drove away from Mimi's place. As they left, Aipom, in a black skin-tight suit, exited Ash's room. Aipom...the vigilante ninja? On the road, May saw the sleeve, now white. She was wondering if Ash suffered an injury...before playing that basketball match with the Rodeos.

"Say, Ash," May voiced. "What happened to your arm?" Ash knew that the arm was cursed, but didn't want to scare the two. He, quickly, had an interesting lie.

"Nah, some jerk, put a tattoo on me, while I was asleep. I looked at it, and didn't like it, so, I covered it with my sleeves." You would have to admit, it was a convincing fib. May seemed to believe him, as they came across a 24-hour Perkins. As they got situated at a table, Ash showed the mark. Rally heard the story, too, actually believing him.

"Yeah, that tattoo doesn't suit you," she agreed. When they got food, Rally decided to talk about why he was on the roof, beforehand. "Now, you did seem troubled by something, thus, you were on that roof. Care to shed some light, on it?" Ash was in a bind, and wasn't sure if he wanted to tell these hotties about Kari. Then again, there was more, that was bothering him, than just the missing girl. That was where Ash wanted to start.

"Well, a lot has happened, over the past couple of weeks, and it's gotten me, so flustered, I'm surprised, I haven't gone crazy, about it, yet. It all started with a nightmare, that I can't seem to shake off." May was a little surprised with the word, "nightmare."

"What's this nightmare, all about?" she asked.

"Well, I was running with a bunch of friends, through a wooded area, after some running, I leaped off a cliff, and landed upright, on a beach. Then, I saw a tall cloud of darkness, in front of me. I panicked, and couldn't do a thing. That's when, it fired a red beam, and it got me in the chest. My vision became red. Suddenly, I heard my voice, calling 'Papa! Papa!' I don't know, if I was calling Papa out of desperation, or if it was in the future, where it was possibly, a son of mine, calling me, to see if I was all right." Okay, that part wasn't mentioned, beforehand. Probably, the Digidestined saw that part, but didn't discuss it. Still, Rally and May were shunned. They've never heard something, that terrifying, in their lives.

"Not even Bill's times at the ATF Bureau were that much of horror," Rally whispered. As she turned back to Ash, Rally had her own idea of the identity of the voice. "I think, it's a combination of both." Huh? In what way, did she mean "both?" Ash had to hear this, willing to understand her point of view. "I believe that the voice was you, and the one, hit by that beam, in the chest, was your father. Have you talked about it, to him." So, what Rally was saying, was that Ash was calling to his father, when he was struck by that beam. Something didn't quite fit with Ash, about that.

"How could I? I haven't got a word, from him, since he left me and my mother, when I was only two. I'm turning 15 in a few weeks, by the way." Oh, it's early, but, happy birthday, Ash. "Ironically, it's the same day, as a certain someone, I've fallen for." Wait...Ash's and Kari's birthdays were on the same day? Now, there was another reason, why those two should be together. May was thrilled to hear about Ash's birthday, coming soon. Rally was upset, that Ash's father hasn't checked up on his son, for almost 13 years.

"I find that, very heartless." So true.

"Bounty hunters, sometimes start that way," May huffed. Rally, swiftly, waived her hand across her neck, telling her not to say that. They were bounty hunters? Let's hope Ash isn't a bounty. He did, quickly, figure that out.

"I wasn't aware, you girls were bounty hunters," he murmured. "You work alongside, with the police?" Rally was speechless. This young man believed, that police and bounty hunters worked side-by-side.

"We do, but, what gave you that idea in the first place?" she questioned. Ash was ready to point out how he knew.

"Well, you did say, you had a friend, who works for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agency, as Izzy told me about, and they're like police, in a sense. Plus, I saw a cartoon about a spaceship of bounty hunter, working with police." A two-fer...nice! "On a side note, you two have been the friendliest hunters, I've met." Ah, that was nice to say. After finishing their plates of food, the waiter presented the bill. Rally was going for something in her wallet, but... "I got this." Ash grabbed his money, first. "Consider it, my apology, for your troubles, in helping me." How did Ash have so much, in his pocket? Considering his successful trips in the Pokémon world, finishing in the Top 16, in the Indigo league, Champion in the Orange Crew, top eight in both Johto and Hoenn leagues, and completing the Battle Frontier, in addition to having the currency from that world, be converted to U.S. dollars and cents, he was loaded. Afterwards, Ash was dropped back off, at Mimi's house. "Thanks, for helping me, Rally, May." The girls acknowledged the trainer's gratefulness.

"Anytime, Ashy-poo," May flirted. Then, Rally gave Ash, a little card.

GUNSMITH CATS-WEAPONS REPAIR SHOP  
RALLY VINCENT & MAY HOPKINS  
533 CURTISVILLE DRIVE  
CHICAGO, IL, 60616  
PHONE NUMBER (312) 555-2595

Why did he receive this card? "In case, you're in our neck of the woods, you can drop on by, and say 'hi,'" she explained. "Besides, we won't be going home for a few weeks, ourselves." Okay, so, just in case, they were in Chicago. Maybe, that's where Kari's gone to...maybe not.

"I'll keep you in mind," Ash thanked. "See you around." With that, Rally and May, in the Ford Viper, drove off, as Ash re-entered the premises. The next morning, Ash was up, and out, once again. However, there was different company, joining him: two Armadillomons, Cody, Duplica, and Pikachu. Wait, two Armadillomons? They were hanging around a marina, where all sorts of fish and water animals swam around.

"Ditto, would you stop transforming in Digimon?" Duplica groaned. So, one of the Armadillomon was actually Ditto?

"Come on, master," Armadillo- no, Ditto countered. "How often, does a Pokémon, get the freedom to talk like you do?" Well, if you were Team Rocket's Meowth, you would talk all day. "I mean, it's a grand treat, that I'm able to do this. You said it, yourself!" Yes, she did.

"True enough, but, what I'm trying to point out, is that, if we get into the situation, that we would need to defend ourselves, I wouldn't know what to do!" In case of a fight...Ditto saw where she was coming from. Armadillomon decided to console the copycat Pokémon.

"It's all right, Ditto," he murmured. "I'm sure, Cody and the others, could teach your trainer, a few moves, we got." See, all is well, now. The group entered a tunnel, where they were seeing the underwater action of fish and other water animals, including jellyfish, crabs, and a shark or two. Ash was in a decent joyed mood. Cody, Duplica, and their creatures were more of excited, seeing all these creatures, swimming around in their environment. Ash had a thought of one creature who might need to see this.

"I think Psyduck might be all right, if I let it out," he pondered. He grabbed and opened Psyduck's Pokéball, releasing the duck Pokémon. Psyduck saw the water...and shrieked in fear. It ran around in circles, panicking at the belief that it was underwater. How can you tell a hydrophobic duck that he ain't drowning in a tunnel, underwater? "Psyduck, you're all right!"

("You're not in the water,") Pikachu tried to reason. Psyduck stopped on Pikachu's words, wondering if the mouse was telling the truth. It waddled over to the glass, as a school of fish swam by. Heavily sighing, Psyduck was a bit embarrassed. Duplica giggled at the easily frightened duck. After exiting a tunnel, there was a guy, in a scuba suit, looking over a large pool of water. He was about mid to late-30s, with messy brown hair. He was also rather stout, size wise. Cody saw the man, knowing him.

"Arthur!" he called out. Responding to his name, Arthur turned to the group, happy to see people come by.

"Cody, hello," he replied. The group approached the poolside, as Arthur stood to greet the young boy. "Haven't seen you, for a while. Thought you were back home, in Japan." Cody was wanting to clarify, with Psyduck, cautiously, waddling to the rest.

"I came here, to have my friends, see yours." What friends, were Cody talking about? Arthur knew, and nodded. Ash was curious with who Arthur and his friends were. Were they aquatic?

"May I ask, how you and Cody know each other?" he questioned. Arthur decided to clarify what he did, at the marina.

"Well, I'm Arthur Kalinzki, and I tend to the dolphins, here," he introduced. "I've been friends with Cody and his mom, since Cody's father's funeral." Cody's father had died? What happened? "Cody's father, Officer Hida, was a great policeman. However, one day, he conducted a traffic stop, in which, a juvenile was driving a car, with stolen license plates. As he approached the stopped vehicle, the kid pulled a gun out, even though, the officer was wearing a bullet-proof vest. Whether or not, the kid noticed that, he shot the officer, between the eyes." Ash and Duplica had a final thought, about the outcome: Officer Hida died instantly. Arthur had been consoling Cody and his family, for quite some time, and now, Duplica wanted to make her consolation. She knelt down and gave Cody a soft hug. Cody felt the warmth of the Ditto trainer.

"I'm sorry, Cody," she moaned. "I had no idea." Reacting, Cody placed a hand on her arm, saying thanks for her concern. Ash knew that Cody was getting treatment. Suddenly, splashes sounded from the pool, catching Ash's and Psyduck's attentions. From the water, were three gray dolphins, in a playing mood. Ash became awed. These dolphins were amazing.

"Oh wow," he hushed. The dolphins began to jump out of the water, showing off their talents. Even Psyduck got involved, by riding the back of one of the dolphins. After some time, watching the dolphins, Ash decided to get going. He wanted to move on, in order to search for Kari. Ash walked through the downtown district, with Pikachu on his shoulder, hoping for some sign of the girl. 'Kari, where are you?' Pikachu was worried. Ash hadn't been so speedy in changing moods. Like water in a river, Ash kept with the flow. Then, he decided to rest, and sit on a bench. As he sat and begin to mind-drift, the street citizens just walked by, a lot of them, not giving a glance or care for the trainer. Talk about selfish people. That's when the lizard, with the pelt, came by, and saw the trainer. Pikachu saw the creature. Because Ash met the other Digidestined, and the picture, T.K. showed Ash, some time ago, it knew the human/creature team.

("Hey, there, Gabumon,") Pikachu greeted. The creature heard Pikachu, and turned to them.

"Ash, Pikachu, how've you been?" he questioned. Ash heard the Digimon, but did nothing. Gabumon believed that Ash was still hard-at-thought on Kari. Then, an older blond teen male rolled up, carrying a large guitar case. He saw Ash, in his deep mindment.

"You know, we're doing all we can to find Kari," he reminded. "This isn't only your burden to bear." Ash knew that he was right, but he was still feeling as guilty, as they were.

"I realize that, Matt," he moaned. "But, it's still my fault, that I should've been there, to protect her." Matt and Gabumon understood his issue, realizing the problems, Ash was going through. Ash, then, saw the large case, wondering what was up with it. He wasn't going to stuff Ash in there, was he? Ash was a contortionist. "What's with the case?"

"Glad, you asked. I have a gig, at a studio, in an hour. I've been practicing some different musical genres, so I was hoping that there's a band, in the U.S., that could accept me." Oh, a possible rocker, eh?

"Well, you're not running late, are you?" Let's hope not. Matt laughed at the possible timing of the question.

"Relax, we're 25 minutes away, from the studio on Parkland Street." So, the studio was nearby. Plenty of time for a joint walk.

"You don't mind, if I join you, right?" That's when Matt pulled a CD player, and handed it to Ash. He thought that Matt played his guitar, and recorded his music. If it was or not, he did need specific info. "So, what do you have in here?"

"It's a collab of songs from bands that might want a guitarist, like Areosmith, InXS, Smashing Pumpkins, and others." Those sounded like some good rock bands. As he and Pikachu listened to the songs, and walking with Matt and Gabumon, to the studio, the blue Ford Viper, with Rally, behind the wheel, drove up to where Ash and Matt were, tailing them. 20 minutes later, a scream was volumed through the calming demeanor. That's when Ash saw Kimberly, being mugged by a gang, wearing dark coats. Seeing the violent action, the six wanted to take action. Matt was willing to clear the air.

"Gabumon, let it out!"

"With pleasure," the Digimon growled. "Blue Blaster!" Gabumon shot a stream of blue fire. Eying the fire, the gang of seven dove clear, evading the heat, and scattering into an alley. Kimberly looked like she went through a clothing dryer, full of blades, because her clothes were shredded, and she was losing blood from her arms and legs. Ash was ticked at the ruthlessness. While he was really worried about where Kari was, Kimberly needed some attention, first.

"Take care of Kim," he ordered, as he ran into the alley, chasing the thugs. Matt got to Kimberly, as Rally exited her Viper. She was wondering, if that boy, who chased the brutes, was the boy, he met last night.

"Was that Ash?" she asked. Matt looked on ahead. He only knew his friend, for a few days, but he wasn't aware of the perils of New York gangs. His life was in danger.

"Yeah, it was," he reported to her. Rally gritted.

"Damn it!" She darted off, after Ash. May was seen, calling 911, hoping that police and paramedics could tend to the stabbed teen. Ash had gone deep into the alley, probably into gang territory. Suddenly, several large young men, in ragged street clothes and bandannas, surrounded him and his Pikachu. They had equipped themselves with knives and box-cutters. They had cut up Kimberly, and Ash was going to be their next target.

"Lookie, lookie what we have here," one man grinned.

"Looks like a lost lamb, just entered the wolf's den," another man gloated.

"And he, even, brought a rat, to feast on," yet another man pointed out. The harsh laughters made Ash uneasy. He was surrounded, and was unsure of a plan. He needed a lightning-fast plan, to get out of there. Wait...lightning?

"When I give the signal, let it out," Ash whispered to his buddy. Suddenly...SLASH! One of the thugs tried to cut Ash's arm. All he got, was the sleeve. Ash realized that the sleeve was going to be useless, so he ripped it off, exposing the marking. BlackWarGreymon warned him about exposing the mark, but he had no other choice. All blades were pointing at him. "Now!" Pikachu got the signal. As Rally was ready to bail Ash out, Pikachu leaped into the air, cheeks sparking. It fired a massive Thunderbolt, striking every man, even Ash, who didn't bother to duck. However, something weird occurred. The marking on his arm, began to change shape. Instead of a blob, the marking became a giant lightning bolt, which streaked down the arm. Something was up, about the arm. When Pikachu was done with the Thunderbolt, Ash crumbled to a knee, but the others hit the ground, shocked out. Ash got to his feet, seeing all the blades away from the thugs. He saw the faces, but shook his head. These weren't the same goons who attacked Kimberly. He sprinted ahead, as Rally trailed. Another gang member, a large one, in fact, tried to block Ash. Before Ash had a chance to stop...

"Use it," a demonic voice rang out. The voice must be referring to the arm. Listening to the voice, Ash cocked his marked arm. The big man was nowhere near impressed.

"Please, like that'll hurt," he grunted. Oh, it's about to be more than hurt. With all force, he could muster, Ash fired his arm. It made contact with the guy. At first, the punch didn't have any effect. Then, the impact got a bit of a boost. BOOM! The big guy was hit with a massive jolt of electricity, and was sent flying, into a wall. That was no small punch. Ash was amazed with the strike. He didn't think that his arm was that powerful. He saw the mark, not there, in the past.

'How did my arm, become this?" he questioned. He saw the lightning pattern. It might have changed, when he was hit by Pikachu's Thunderbolt. The harmed thug was beyond help, or even thought, since he became attached to that wall. He wasn't aware that a couple thugs were going to jump him. Well, they weren't aware of Rally, pulling a handgun out. BANG! BANG! A bullet struck one in the weapon arm of one, making him drop his knife. The other shot ripped through the mid-section of the other man. That guy hit the ground, with a harsh thud. Blood was draining from both bodies, as Ash turned to the halted attackers...and Rally, pointing her gun in his direction, looking not too pleased with Ash's reckless actions.

"What in the world, are you doing?" she fumed. "You're gonna get yourself killed." Petty vengeance...Rally was telling Ash that it was a waste to hold a grudge.

"Sorry." If Ash was done, he would go back, to check on Kimberly. Unfortunately, the path back, would be tough. More of the gang had blocked any exit, which could've sprung the trainer and hunter free. They were surrounded. "Like I said, I'm sorry." As the many eyes glared down on the Palletinian and the Illini, a shady man emerged from the shadows. He was a tall man with a shaved head, wearing a crown, and his face appeared severely swollen. Ew!

"Well, well, look who wandered into the den of the Queens' Kings," he grumbled. Queens' Kings? They seemed misplaced.

"Hate to break it to you, but you guys are in Richmond County, not Nassau," Rally pointed out.

"Shut up! Maybe, you should understand, what we do to beautiful girls, who enter the back alley...and it's a special treat, with your friend, bearing witness." It was a cue. The gang members approached Rally and Ash. Instincts told themselves, not to mention their leader, that they were going to restrain Ash, as they rape Rally. It wasn't going to be pretty...for the gang, that is. Ash still felt power in his arm.

"You ready, Rally?" he wondered.

"If you got something to help us, now would be the perfect time," Rally gritted. Oh, Ash had something, all right. Let's see, what that arm had. A handful of the Kings were ready to pounce on Ash, who readied the arm, again. This time, it was with an open hand. Ash flung his arm out, creating a wall of electricity. When the Kings hit the wall, which was more like a chain-link fence, not only were they feeling the shock, they were flung back, slamming the side of the buildings. They were out, only hearing birdies in their heads. Rally wasn't sure, how to pinpoint what happened. "Okay, how the hell, were you able to fire an electric fence, out of your hand?"

"Never mind, that. They're still coming!" If you, readers, were wondering why this story was rated T for teen...there you go. Rally spotted more of the Kings. Gun ready, she fired every round in her gun. Accuracy...100. Everyone was down, once shot. As a matter of fact, a couple of them appeared to have been shot in the head. Uh...Medic! As the onslaught was being detained, every Kings member had a hairline of a chance, if any. Everyone was down. Everyone...but the Kings' leader. The head King didn't seem to be liking it. He started to charge in. Rally aimed her gun, and pulled the trigger. CLICK!...She was empty?

"Crap. Out of ammo." Here came the leader. Ash was the one, who could stop him.

"I got this. Pikachu?" Hearing the call, Pikachu stepped up. "Thunder!" Pikachu shot a mighty storm shower of lightning, from it's small body. It nailed the leader, full blast. Ash rolled in, arm re-cocked. With one mighty swing, and contact, the leader flew quite a distance, almost out of the alleyway. He was down. Calming down, Ash returned to Rally. "Rally, you all right?"

"Yeah. Thanks for your help." She examined her gun. Wait, didn't she say that she was out of ammo? She opened the chamber. Nothing was inside. "I hate it, when I do that."

"What? Running out of ammunition, like that?"

"Yeah. By the way, why did you lie to me, about your arm?" Ash wasn't sure about the possible lie. Maybe he didn't know that his arm could absorb Pikachu's attack, or that he could use the arm, to manipulate the element.

"Well, I wasn't too aware of what my arm was capable of, and even if I did know, you wouldn't believe me." He was trying to say that even if he knew the extent of his arming powers, it would make other people believe that he was still like a child. Now that Rally got a good look at the power, she nodded in understanding. Unaware to either of them, the leader was getting up. It wasn't going to be pretty.

"It's not over," he grunted. "It's not over...by a long shot!" He grabbed a knife, from one of the fallen Kings, ready to attack the hunter. He wouldn't...KABONG!...get a chance. A large piece of concrete was smashed on the head Kings's...head. Ash and Rally turned to see the bad man fall, in a concussive heap...and see Peter, behind him, with a leg, in the air. He didn't just...with his..? Did he kick that concrete at the leader's skull?

"Seems that incident with my mother, and a nurse, wasn't a fluke, after all," he gloated. Wait...there was another incident, with Peter and a hospital? Ash was happy to see Peter, but was wondering where he got that strength to boot that concrete. He wasn't on any narcotics, was he?

"Thanks, Peter," he huffed. Rally was at a lost for words. As the police arrived to excavate the area, Matt, Gabumon and May made it to the area, wondering if the two and Pikachu were all right. Ash would need to go home, and grab a new sleeve, but he and the others would need to get through the news media, first. After getting interviews and getting checked by paramedics, Matt and Ash headed home, as Rally, May, and Peter drove off. At Mimi's house, T.K. turned the TV on. The news on the air.

"Our top story, this evening," a middle-aged man started. "Three youths managed to take out a ruthless, murderous gang, formerly known as the Queens' Kings, killing three, and leaving 15 injured. Ash Ketchum, Rally Vincent, and Peter Hamby, teamed up to battle the gang, lead by Javier Calvin." Then, there was a shot of Ash, doing his interview.

"I don't appreciate people harming young folks, like a friend, I met at Rucker Park, the other day," he told. Then, Rally had her share of camera time.

"While I don't condone what Ketchum did, his actions are nothing short of remarkable," she explained. It must have been big news, since the three, allegedly, had taken down a gang. That's when Mimi entered the room. Seeing T.K., something came up, that she wanted to address.

"T.K.?" she started. T.K. turned to her direction, while sipping on a 7-up. "Ash had told me, that you were really worried about me, on 9/11." Ash told Mimi about that time. "Were you that worried about me?" T.K. was at a lost for words. He did tell the story to Kari, in which Ash and Misty overheard, back during the first adventure.

"I guess, because we were Digidestined, I was worried that we lost a great friend," he admitted. "Matt was the one, who was most worried about you, but I was just as worried, too." Aw, that was nice. "I didn't mean for Ash, to think, that I was in love with you. I hope you understand." Mimi did, by giving T.K. a kiss on the cheek...the same way, Ash was kissed, in the past. Speaking of...

AUGUST 4-IZZY HAD TOLD ME, HE GOT NOTICE FROM A GIRL IN MEXICO, SAYING THAT KARI WAS NOWHERE, OVER IN THAT VICINITY. THE SAME WITH OVER IN FRANCE. HOWEVER, BEING TEAMMED UP WITH BOUNTY HUNTERS, AND TAKING DOWN A GANG, WAS TOUGH. THEN AGAIN, I MAY HAVE SCRATCHED THE SURFACE, ABOUT MY ARM. WHAT POWERS CAN I OBTAIN? WHAT LIMITS DO I NEED TO KNOW? CAN IT FIND A WAY TO SAVE KARI?

He placed the pencil down, and looked outside, seeing the crescent moon. Somewhere...somewhere, she's praying for him to find her.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	9. Shopping for Fan Service

_Chapter 9: Shopping for Fan Service

* * *

_The nights of New York were strewn with midnight commuters, going by, on their personal businesses. Still, big brother was watching the streets, looking for any trouble, possible. In the ninja suit, Aipom patrolled the avenues, making sure that every innocent person was in good condition. Suddenly, the chimp Pokémon heard cries. Was it someone who was assaulted? Someone raped? Someone lost? Aipom swung down to where the cries were coming from. That's when it found a young brunette boy, crying hysterically. Sad enough, not one person gave a look at the small child, much less, wonder what was wrong with him. Aipom patted the boy, in the shoulder. The boy started to quiet his crying, and looked at the friendly ninja. Hold on...ninjas aren't suppose to be friendly, right? "H-hello?" the kid wondered. He probably didn't hear about the news of this vigilante ninja. "Can you help me? I'm lost." This kid, was asking the ninja, for assistance? Aipom gave the request a thought. He did appear desperate, to go somewhere. Aipom agreed to helping the young child, and guided him. A couple of minutes later, Aipom and the boy spotted a police car. That's where they spotted a tall redhead woman in a police uniform. The officer, thankfully, saw the lost kid, as did Aipom, seeing the officer. She made a call, on her radio.

"10-1," she coded. 10-1?

"Go ahead," sounded from the radio.

"I have a possible 10-35, neglect. 10-6." The officer stepped out, hoping that she could help the lost boy. "Hello, there. Are you lost?" The boy nodded. "Okay, I'm Officer Warner. I'll help you look for your parents, alright?" He did another nod. From the looks of the child, he appeared to be five years old. What was a five-year-old doing, roaming downtown Manhattan, alone, and at night? "10-1, I have a Caucasian boy, five years old, wandering on Henderson Blvd. Possibly separated from parent or guardian." Knowing that the boy would be in good hands, Aipom left. The monkey's community services were done for the night. The next morning, Yolei, T.K., Duplica and their Digimon were watching the morning news. Everyone else, in the house, was busy with other, unimportant items. There was a report about the leader of the fallen gang, Queens' Kings' Javier Calvin.

"Breaking news, this morning, Javier Calvin, the leader of the Queens' Kings, has been released from the hospital, and, is now, going to jail, for numerous felony charges, including seven counts of first-degree murder," the anchor woman, who was labeled as Robin Meade, notified. "Yesterday, 21-year-old Peter Hamby, 21-year-old Rally Vincent, and 14-year-old Ash Ketchum stopped the gang, after Ash witnessed 15-year-old Kimberly Conners, being attacked by members of the Kings. The failed ambush resulted with the deaths of three members." T.K. hit the "MUTE" button on the remote. At least, that was all the story, he needed to hear. However, Matt entered the room, knowing a little secret.

"Well, actually, the girl's only 19," he corrected Rally's age...only 19, not 21? "Ash told me, since he had a snack-out, with her." Okay...maybe Ash should be a private investigator, after his trainer days are over and done with. Just a thought.

"And why are you telling us, about it?" Yolei wondered. Matt's face looked like a face of a guilty drug user.

"Well, I have a feeling that Ash's gonna figure out, that Kari isn't on Earth." The dragnet was a ruse, to have Ash, out of the way. Everyone had that sickening feeling, like Ash would find out about the lie, sooner or later.

"Ash has been gaining knowledge, gradually," Duplica grumbled. "So, just imagine, how he would feel, if he knew, we were playing him?" Not to well, apparently. He'd probably react more violently, to that news, than Tai did, about Kari's disappearance. Even the magenta mecha-bug, that's been on the sidelines, had its word.

"I'm afraid that Duplica is really worried about Ash, more than the rest of us," it buzzed. Veemon, hearing the bug, busted out of his meditation.

"Are you saying, that we need to continue our charade, Tentomon?" he questioned. Yolei shook her head. She didn't want to continue playing dumb. She knew Kari was lost, somewhere, and keeping the information, hidden under the carpet, was getting no where.

"I'll tell him," she wished. Gasps filled the house, as they were showing fear of what could happen to the young teen. Why, Yolei? Why would you want to risk your health and tell Ash, the truth?

"Yolei?" Matt wondered.

"I have a confession." Everyone tuned in, to what Yolei had hidden in her "closet." "You see, if it wasn't for the fact, that Kari, first, met him, or that I was infatuated with Ken, I would've taken Ash, for myself." No, wait a second. She fell for Ash, for a trainer, who had been through Hell, and some? "I wish I hadn't restrained myself. I wished that, I had to convert a passionate time, in that bathhouse." T.K. remembered that, but began to believe that Yolei was willing to sacrifice her well-being, for the young trainer.

"You wanted to have sex with Ash?" he guessed. Whoa! That's...huge news to stomach, but she nodded and teared up. Despite the warning that T.K. gave her and Ash, back that year-and-a-half, Yolei was willing to 'do the dirty,' with Ash. Mimi couldn't believe her. Than again, who could?

"I don't understand, why you would get yourself killed, for someone you love," she muttered. Well, risking bodily harm would be a better understanding. What could they do, now? Well, what about Ash? He was hanging out with Sora, as they were walking downtown. What was on their agenda?

"Thanks, Sora, for joining me," he accepted. "I'm sorry, about my actions, before." He might have been referring to when he, first, arrived in New York, with Duplica and Todd. Speaking of, ever wonder why Todd's been rather absent? He's been sightseeing. Enough said.

"Hey, you're not to blame," the redhead Digidestined reasoned. "Hearing from T.K., you and Kari were pretty close." Well, obviously. Ash's memories of the lost girl were still very fresh, even the time, after the battle against Godal, when she had listed names of those, who passed on.

"Is it all right, if I ask, why Kari was given the nickname, 'eighth child?'" Of course. Back on RainBellian, Kari had mentioned herself, as the "8th child." Sora wanted to believe, that Ash was curious about Kari's past.

"Well, six years ago, we, Digidestined, were in a camp, when we were sent to the digital world. Of course, Kari wasn't with us at the time, which meant that the other seven, that included me, proceeded forward. Then, one day, Tai and Agumon, who was MetalGreymon, gone back home, where Kari recognized Tai's Digimon." Wait...Kari knew about Agumon, before she was a Digidestined? "Later on, we were sent back, to search for Kari, when Gatomon was sent to kill her. However, everytime, those two saw, eye-to-eye, Gatomon hesitated, until Wizardmon helped sort the mess, telling the two that they were partners. It came with a price. A fiend, named Myotismon, tried to take out Kari and Gatomon, but Wizardmon took the bullet for them. Even today, Kari and Gatomon are still haunted by that scene." Ash was rather horrified. Kari had seen Digimon die, in front of her eyes, but none more shocking, than the one, involving Wizardmon. Ash had his share of deaths.

"I, still, remember, when Latios sacrificed his own life, to protect the city of Altomare, in benefit for his sister, Latias." Sora was awe-struck. That wasn't all... "It, so, happened, that I read about how the city commemorated a past pair of the Pokémon, who made the name of the city, Altomare: High Sea." It was hard to stomach, like losing loved ones. All of a sudden, Sora stopped in front of a sporting goods store. When Ash realized that she stopped, he was wondering about the location. "Scheel's? Why here?" What was Sora's intention?

"There's a special on Under Armour spandex shirts, I've heard about. I thought that there would be a long sleeve, that could replace the sleeves." Okay, so that Ash wouldn't need to waste time, putting a sleeve on. Ash shook his head, while smiling. Any reason?

"Why do I keep befriending redhead tomboys?" Huh? Sora...a tomboy? She sneered at Ash, thinking that he wasn't serious about it.

"Is that how you see me?" They both entered the Scheel's...when Pikachu and Biyomon arrived, late.

"Dang, we can't get in," the bird moaned.

("Guess we wait out here,") Pikachu realized. After a while, Ash came out of the store, wearing a black long sleeve Under Armour stretch shirt, and his sleeve draped over his shoulder, along with Sora, carrying a bag of clothes, happy about the turnout.

"Who knew?" Ash hiccuped. "A three-piece, matching set, for only $80. That's a steal." Three-piece set?

"Yeah, that long sleeve, with the stretch normal tee, and the no-sleeve," Sora gleed. Oh, that three-piece set. She checked her watch. It read 1:39 P.M. "Hey, is it all right, if I bring them home? I've got tennis practice, nearby." Busy schedule? "It's odd enough, running into tennis star, Andy Roderick. Not to mention, your encounter with Tennessee coach, Pat Summit." Ash heard the name before. Peter mentioned it, during their run-in at the hospital, the other day.

"She did say, that she was impressed by my shooting and sportsmanship. She's actually quite a nice woman." Sora nodded. "Well, see ya."

"Yeah, see ya, back home." She ran off, hoping to get to her tennis practice, on time. That also meant leaving Biyomon, with the trainer.

("Aren't you going with her?") Pikachu asked. Biyomon was Sora's Digimon, but...

"Actually, I did want to spend some time with Ash," she requested. Oh, so the bird wanted to hang out with Ash. The young raven, as called by the late Vendetta Masqurn, didn't feel like Biyomon was going to be an issue.

"I guess, it couldn't hurt," he pondered. "How about we go get some ice cream?" Both creatures like the idea, and cheered. They had gone to an ice cream parlor, where Ash made the orders. He had a scoop of Neapolitan, a vanilla/chocolate/strawberry mix, Pikachu was eating a scoop of mint chip, and Biyomon stuffed her beak with a Pralines 'n' Cream. Gotta love nuts...sorry.

"So, how do you like New York, so far?" Ash began to look back at when he first arrived at the Big Apple. The sights, the sounds, the comfort of an American city...

"It's okay. Though, I wish that more of my friends were here, like Misty, Brock, Max..." Those names began to remind him of home. The open travels, the encounter with friends, rising to the limits. He was starting to feel homesick. He missed his old friends, camping out, enjoying conversations, helping each other, rooting the other on to victory...

("Ash, you okay?") Pikachu wondered. Hearing his name, Ash shook out of his deep thought.

"Sorry." As they continued to travel, a young kid rolled up on Ash, with a case of a game. The game was "Super Smash Bros. Melee" for the video game system, GameCube. The girl saw Pikachu, wondering if he was the real thing.

"Hey, kid," she called out. "Is that your Pikachu?" Ash and Biyomon glared at each other. Was she serious? Pikachu hopped down, in which the girl knelt down and petted the mouse, gleeing with enjoyment. "You are real, not an imitation. You're on the cover of a video game, I picked up. Is it all right, if get an autograph, or a paw print, perhaps?" Pikachu was beyond words. Even as she opened a tiny case, with an ink pad in it, Pikachu wasn't sure on how to reply. "Please?" Now, how can you resist that? Finally, Pikachu palmed the ink pad, then pawed the game case. The girl got excited. She got the paw print of everyone's favorite Pokémon. As a way to say thanks, she gave Pikachu a kiss on its cheek. It was a rather cute scene. She left, satisfied that she got to see Pikachu, and get a print of it. The same cannot be said for Ash and Biyomon. They were left, befuddled at the random encounter.

"How often, do you get that treatment?" the pink bird questioned.

"Not enough," Ash mumbled. Biyomon turned to a direction, with a bit of fear. Reason?

"Well, you're about to get a lot more than a few fans. Look!" Ash turned to the same direction. There was a flood, coming their way, but it wasn't water. It was a wave...of fan girls! They were screaming Ash's name. Now, you'd appreciate a few fans, but not around 50. Ash and the creatures were in trouble. These girls were bearing down on the three. Ash's immediate concern, the creatures.

"Biyomon, you and Pikachu, get to safety."

"Right." Pikachu hopped on the bird, causing her to fly away. Now, it was time for Ash to take off. The girls were giving Ash a decent head start, and Ash wasn't about to lose that advantage. Like the wind, he ran. He was looking for one certain girl, not a wave of random young New York females. The cats-and-mouse chase had the action of the Boston Marathon, without a finish line. Even Ash felt the wind, as he scurried through the city.

'Man, I've never ran this fast, since that Primeape chased me. It must be the shirt. It's lighter than what I usually wear.' Then, the distance between the young man, and the horde of lovely ladies increased, little by little. Were the girls tiring? No. Ash ran into a trap. More girls appeared in front of Ash, cutting his path. In a massive sandwich, the girls gang tackled the trainer. Ash was in trouble. Every girl wanted Ash for themselves, and the all-purpose male line, "there's enough, of me, to go around," wouldn't cut it. He needed help. He was about to get it. Ken and Wormmon arrived, and just in time. They saw Ash, knowing that if he couldn't get out of there, these girls would take every piece of him, even the little...you figure it out!

"I hate to see him, be with another girl, before we find Kari, much less 78 of them," Ken coughed. "Ready to go, Wormmon?"

"Ready on your signal," the bug Digimon prepared.

"Now!"

"Silk Thread!" Wormmon spat out a tread into the swarm. Ash saw the thread, and snagged it. Ken, then, pull Ash from the pile, thankfully still, in one piece. The girls saw the escape, but they were still Ash-hungry.

"Doesn't look like those girls are gonna give up on ya." Yes, Ash wasn't out of the suburban woods.

"Tell me about it," he moaned. The chase was still on, as Ash and Ken dashed off into the city. Where a riot squad, when you need them? After an hour of running, Ken was tiring. Ash was still steady with speed, as they turned a corner. A few seconds later, the girls caught up, seeing Ken, breathing very heavily...but no Ash!

"Keep going!" Ken called out. Ash must have bolted ahead. The girls ran to where Ash had gone. When the girls were out of sight, out of the alley, was Ash! He hid in the alley, as the girls passed. That was some quick thinking by the two. About an hour since the chase, Ash and Ken were resting by a bridge, which was over a walkway, in a park.

"Thanks, Ken, Wormmon. I highly doubt Kari would've been happy about that scene." Ken huffed a chuckle. Yeah, her or any guy, who would think that Ash was quite a thief of hearts.

"Why can't you stay at home, like the rest of us?" Ken, this is Ash, you're talking to. He doesn't rest at home.

"I don't like to stay in one place. I like to explore, and go everywhere possible." He checked the surroundings of their location, which had playgrounds, lakes and bridges over numerous walkways. Ash was awed by the setting of this lightly wooded area. "Can't believe Central Park is so gorgeous." That's for sure. A park within a city was uncommon for Ash. He started to walk, with Ken, using Ash's sleeve to wipe the sweat from the running. Then, they came upon a teen girl. Oh no, not another one. Well, that wasn't the case. The long, auburn-haired teen had tears, running down her face. Ash got concerned about her, and decided to see, if she was okay. "Hello, there." Opening hazel eyes, the girl turned her head to the trainer. "Is there something wrong?" The girl turned her head, back down. She didn't feel like talking too much.

"I'm just tired," she mumbled. Ash didn't believe she was tired. She wouldn't be crying, if she was needing sleep.

"I'm tired, myself, but I doubt, that's your issue." The girl continued to turn her head, ever away from looking at his face. "I know, when I see tears, that there's a problem, with someone." Still defiant, she wanted to stay with her story.

"It's none of your business." Ash knew that she was right, but still wanted to make sure, she was all right.

"I realize that, but my main concern is you. If anything, I want to help." Once again, the girl bobbed her head down.

"You wouldn't understand." Like, Ash hadn't heard that line, before.

"I'm not here to understand. I'm here, to make sure, that you're okay." Finally, she jerked her head, back to Ash. She found out, that this young man was concerned enough to stay.

"Well, my dad caught my mom, having an affair with one of her students. She's a teacher at George Washington High School, while my father's a business man. They're going through a divorce, and my father wants me to go back with him, to his home of San Francisco. I don't wanna go there." A teacher/student affair? Divorce? San Francisco? As Ash listened to the distraught teen, Ken's eyes were bothering him, so he rubbed his eyes a bit. When he looked again, his eyes must've deceived him. Ash wasn't there, but a rather young brunette girl, in a pink and white striped sleeveless shirt, skinny yellow shorts and full-armed pink gloves. The new girl was wondering why the saddened girl didn't want to go over to San Francisco.

"You don't wanna leave your friends?" she asked.

"I don't have any friends." No friends? Then, why did she want to stay in New York? "I heard that there was gang activity, around my dad's homeplace. I don't want to get caught by a gang, be raped, get killed...I don't wanna go!" Whoa! Someone's taking their safety seriously. The young girl feared that gangs would mess with her life. The new one realized that she was needing some friends, but wondered why she didn't have any, in the first place.

"You know, I do have some friends, that can be more than offering to be friends with you, like Ken, behind me." This new girl knew Ken?

'Kari?' Ken thought. This was the missing girl? The sad girl saw Ken, lost in a daze. She giggled a little, making Ken snap back into reality.

"If you don't want to go across the country, tell your dad that, okay?" The sad girl wiped her face of tears, and nodded. She was relieved to know that there were people here, who could help her, be with friends.

"Thanks," she accepted. "By the way, my name is Trina. I hope my parents understand the whole deal." Ken and the suspected 'Kari' nodded, believing that Trina would be all right. "I'll see you around." With that, Trina exited the park. Ken was still seeing 'Kari,' wondering if it was her.

"Kari?" he muttered. She heard that, but when she turned to Ken, Ken re-saw Ash. Hearing that name, Ash believed that Ken saw the girl, but wanted to make sure.

"You say something?" he questioned. Seeing more clearly, Ken shook his head.

"Sorry. I thought I saw you, as her. My eyes got the better of me." Understanding, Ash figured that Ken saw him as her, but now, wondered about why he mentioned that.

'Why did Ken believe I was Kari? Is it that he has an interest for her?' Bad thought. Ash shook it off. 'No, don't think of it, that way. Maybe, he thinks that I'm the only one, who has access to Kari's sub-consciousness, or maybe...I'm the only one, who can find her.' Ken saw the setting sun, realizing that it was starting to get late.

"We better get going, Ash. It's getting dark out, and knowing that ninja, roaming around..." Ash heard about the ninja, although, he had no idea, that it was his own Aipom.

"Good idea. Say, wasn't it your turn to pick up dinner, for everyone?" Hey, the Digidestined and Digimon were no Snorlaxes, but you can't rest without a good meal. On there way out, Todd joined in, satisfied with the photos of the city, even some of the schools, he had taken. They returned home, had dinner, and was ready to rest. To Ash, it was another chapter in his journal:

AUGUST 5-STILL NO KARI IN SIGHT, DESPITE KEN'S STRAINING EYES. SINCE PICKING UP SOME UNDER ARMOUR SHIRTS, MY SLEEVES MIGHT BE BETTER USED AS TOWELS, IN CASE, SOMETHING LIKE BEING CHASED BY A MOB OF FAN GIRLS, HAPPENS AGAIN. I GOT A CALL FROM RALLY, SAYING THAT SHE AND PETER HAD HELPED GET A BOY, WHO WAS FOUND LOST BY THE NEW YORK NINJA, TO HIS HOME. SHE ALSO SAID THAT HE'D BE THE PERFECT CANIDATE TO HELP HER AT HER GUNSTORE IN CHICAGO. I BELIEVE, THAT SHE'S FALLEN FOR HIM. CAN'T DISAGREE WITH HER. WHOEVER THIS BILL GUY WAS, SEEMED LIKE A SNOB, COMPAIRED TO THE ULTRA POWERFUL LEG OF PETER. STILL, RALLY MIGHT'VE FOUND HER KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR. I'M STILL LOOKING, FOR MY PRINCESS.

He would learn, soon enough, that Yolei would confess something to him. Would he abandon the search for Kari, and stay with the kind teen?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	10. Confessions on Liberty's Flames

_A/N: I will grant ComicMan416's request to be in the story, as Joshua.

* * *

__Chapter 10: Confessions on Liberty's Flames

* * *

_Ash was trying, vainly, to sleep through the nightmare, the same nightmare that's been plaguing him for a few weeks. That nightmare of his demise. Suddenly, there was a noise. Ash opened his eyes, and checked the clock, reading 12:35 A.M. He was wondering who was up, at this hour. He heard the TV, being on. Exiting his room, he saw light, and proceeded to the light. That's when he saw the TV, and it was turned on. There, he saw a show, which was named ".Hack/SIGN." That's an interesting name for a show. As some ambient music was playing, Ash looked to the sofa couch, and saw Gatomon, curled and seated. Poor cat appeared to have lost hope. "Hey, Gatomon," he quietly acknowledged. Gatomon turned her head to the awoken trainer, wondering what he was doing, awake.

"Ash, shouldn't you be sleeping?" she questioned. Ever since the reunion, Ash was the only person, Gatomon wanted to talk to, since he was the closest to react to Kari's disappearance. Ash sat on the couch, trying to make sure, Gatomon was comfortable.

"I heard the TV, and wondered who it was." Realizing that she may have stirred Ash awake, she began to feel apologetic. She didn't mean to wake anyone up.

"Sorry about that." Ash knew she was trying to find happiness over the loss of her protective guardian.

"It's okay." They watched the show for a minute, quietly. Gatomon was wondering, if Ash was still willing to look for Kari. She feared that the attention, the other Digidestined were giving him, might have distracted him enough to stop caring about the missing girl.

"Are you still looking for Kari?" Ash turned to the little digital kitten, willing to ease the concern, that was presented.

"You can say, that I'd be the last person, to stop the search." Although feeling satisfied, Gatomon still was worried. "Listen, maybe, we can hang out tomorrow. I know I can't replace Kari, but you're still here." This was true. Gatomon nodded to the idea. Suddenly, as he smiled to her response, Ash slumped onto the couch, falling back to sleep. At first, Gatomon thought he passed out, willing to scare the already mentally-strained cat. When she heard snoring, it was late, and he needed some rest, she smiled, for the first time, since the two parted ways.

"Take it easy, Ash." The next morning, Tai was searching around the house. Did he forget something? He entered the kitchen, where Todd and Joe were examining Todd's week of sightseeing.

"Joe, Todd," Tai interrupted. "Have you guys seen Gatomon anywhere?" Wait, Gatomon's gone? Todd, nor Joe, appeared to have any idea of where the kitty had gone to.

"Sorry, Tai, I haven't noticed," Joe replied.

"You sure, she didn't wander out of the house?" Todd guessed. Why would she wander out? That's when Pikachu and Davis entered the room. They must've been hungry. Tai wanted to know if either of those two saw the missing cat.

"Have you two, seen Gatomon, anywhere?" he questioned. Pikachu hadn't seen his master, since last night, and shook his head, no. Davis was rather in-question, about why Tai was interested in Gatomon.

"Why are you getting obsessive over your sister's Digimon?" Davis pointed out. Obsessive? You sure that's the word to use? Suddenly, Sora entered the room, overhearing Tai's tirade.

"If you're looking for Gatomon, she went out, with Ash," she answered. It was mentioned last night, and Sora had been notified about it. Tai began to wonder why Ash and Gatomon were together.

"Isn't Pikachu, suppose to be with Ash?" That was suppose to be the case. Ash and Gatomon were spotted walking through the downtown district of New York City. Some of the sights, they saw, had questionable tastes. One was a blond adult, wearing nothing but a white cowboy hat, boots, and underwear, which had the words "NAKED COWBOY." Yeah, it's a disturbing sight to see. Another was a group of photographers, none of which was Todd, taking pictures of a couple of celebrities, going for a breakfast run. Guys, leave them alone.

'Vultures," Gatomon groaned. Good name for them. That's when she recognized the celebrities. "That's Johnny Depp and Keira Knightly, stars of the upcoming sequel to their 2003 film, _Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl_." Ash was wondering what that film was about, and its sequel.

"What's the film about?" he asked.

"It was about what pirates were like, back in the 1800s. There was a love story, added into it, too, seeing a young lad, going to save the daughter of a governor." It was a touching tale. It reminded Ash of what he was going through, right now.

"Kind of like me, trying to save Kari." Gatomon moaned. Hearing that name, made her feel emotionally ill. Ash saw the expression, realizing that, maybe, bringing up Kari, wasn't the right time. "Sorry." They proceeded on. As they were going pass the Madison Square Garden, they saw Mimi and Palmon, carrying a arm load of bags. There were two young men, carrying some of those shopping bags. One was a blond man, who look a bit like Todd, and the other looked a lot like Ash, except a bit taller than the trainer. "Mimi!" Mimi turned to the sound of her name, called out, and saw Ash.

"Hey, Ash," she greeted. She was a little surprised to see a Digimon, hanging on Ash's shoulder, not his Pokémon. "Why is Gatomon with you, and not Pikachu?" Gatomon was willing to explain.

"We made an agreement, to go out and see the town," she admitted. Palmon saw that her friend did need some time out of the house, and believed it was okay to go with someone. Ash was wondering about Mimi's escort.

"By the way, who are they?" he questioned.

"Well, to my left," she started, pointing to the blond. "That's Michael, a friend, I've been acquainted with, since coming to America, and to my right, is a schoolmate of mine, Joshua." Michael heard about Ash, from Mimi, and was willing to meet him. Joshua had a look of a headlight-caught deer. He and Ash looked like mirrored images.

"It's an honor to meet you, Ash," Michael greeted. Using a free hand, he and Ash shook hands. "I heard from Mimi, that you're an alien from another planet." What?! Ash isn't an alien. He's human.

"Michael!" Mimi yelled. Michael jumped from getting that shout, but, as soon as he recovered, wanted to plead his case.

"You told me, he was from a different world of monsters. If he _is _from there, then he can't really be human." Interesting excuse. Ash remembered a Pokémon that could turn into a human.

"Actually, there is a creature, that can transform into a human, so, I can't really blame him," he muttered. So, how did Mimi react to that allegation? She became confused, a bit. Joshua snapped out of his trance, when Mimi yelled.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "I could've sworn that I was staring at my twin." Ash knew that the two looked almost similar to the letter, and wanted to give him sympathy.

"Not a problem." Mimi thought that it would be interesting, to have Ash show off his Pokémon, to her friends.

"Ash, is it all right if you can show your creatures?" she requested. "I see that you didn't bother to bring Pikachu, but you did bring others, right?" The trainer did. He nodded, as he grasped two of the Pokéballs.

"I got a couple." As soon as he hit the buttons, Zuby and Psyduck were released. Gatomon had heard about Misty's Psyduck, but she didn't know, that this was that Psyduck. Mimi and the other boys were in awe, at the sight of the red bat. Gatomon hopped down, joining Palmon, to see the Psyduck, first hand...er, paw, or vine...whatever.

"Is this your Psyduck, Ash?" the cat Digimon pondered.

"No, unfortunately, that's Misty's. She loaned it to me, for a while." Gatomon was dumbstruck, at the dumbed-down ducky. This was the hydrophobic Psyduck, she heard about. Palmon saw the frustrated look of her digital friend, realizing that seeing this duck was no good.

"I take it, it's useless?" the plant creature theorized. Gatomon nodded, and Psyduck just sighed. Yeah, helpless, thoughtless, a pain in the...you get the idea. Zuby flew happily around Joshua. What got the bat, so excited about the young man?

"Looks like that bat's got a thing for you," Michael joked. Then, Zuby landed on a bag, marked "Wal-Mart." What was the bat going for?

"It senses the kibble, I bought," Joshua figured. "Typical." Every human laughed. They walked for a bit, still talking about what they all go through, day-by-day, until they came across a theater. On the sign, it had "Fantastic Four," on the billboard, hanging above the ticket window. Joshua thought Ash might want to see a good film. "Say, Ash, how about we, all, go see a movie? I heard good stuff about the 'Fantastic Four.'" Ash wasn't really interested in a movie. His main focus was finding Kari.

"Wish I could, but I've got other business, to tend to," he bellowed. "Sorry." Joshua understood, believing that his agenda was booked.

"It's cool. Some other time." That mentioned, Mimi and the two men entered the movie theater. Ash and Gatomon walked on, throughout the city. Ash, even saw some police officers, riding horses. The blankets, on the thoroughbreds' backs read "NYPD," meaning the New York Police Department. Then, as the two entered the pier, where they first arrived, someone was there, waiting for them.

"Ash!" Yolei called out. Ash turned to where the sound came from, and saw Yolei approaching. Aquillamon was resting, watching the two, get together.

"Hey, Yolei," Ash greeted back. "What's up?" Yolei made it over, seemingly urgent about something. She was willing to confess about the situation, and her admiring to Ash.

"Come with me." She snagged Ash's arm, and pulled him and Gatomon to her giant bird. She was _really_ urgent.

"What's the hurry?" As soon as they boarded Aquillamon, the bird flew off, and headed to the Statue of Liberty. Why there? History lesson? "Why are we going to the Statue?" Either Yolei didn't hear the question, or wanted to answer it, when they got there, she didn't respond. After Aquillamon landed on the grassy part of the small island, where Liberty stood, Ash and Yolei hopped off, and approached a guard at the entrance. The guard saw the kids, but more on Yolei. It was like, he was expecting her.

"Miss Inoue, there you are," he gleed. Yolei walked up to the guard. Was it, that Yolei had taken Ash to the Statue of Liberty, for a date?

"We're ready to go in," Yolei motioned. The guard nodded, while Gatomon hopped down, and joined Aquillamon. Gatomon was wondering why Yolei was desperate to take Ash up, as the two teens entered the doorway.

"What's with that girl?" she pondered. Aquillamon overheard Yolei's confession, and was going to tell the smaller Digimon.

"Yolei had feelings for Ash," he beaked. "She thought that telling him, in the statue, would be the best place for her to say her piece." Gatomon became worried, like never before. Her human friend, with a girl, who's not Kari? It can't be.

'If he does like Yolei, Ash is gonna forget why he came here.' That's not good, at all. 'Please, Ash. Keep Kari in mind.' Yolei and Ash climbed the stairs. Where were they going? Ash believed that they were going to the top of the statue.

'Was there something that she wanted to show me?' he pondered in his mind. Finally, they reached the top of the stairs. No more climbing. Yolei got to the other side of the floor, which was an outdoor view, appearing sectioned.

"Over here," she ordered. Ash walked over to where she was, and looked out the edge. He became awe-struck. He could see the entire city of New York, a breath-taking view, nonetheless.

"My goodness!" Yolei was ready to explain.

"This is inside the crown of Liberty, herself." They were in the statue's crown? Gotta love the sight. "And out there, is New York, as well as it's brother state, New Jersey." She pointed to the land, where there was a stadium. The stadium, which had names of "GIANTS" and "JETS," reminded Ash of his tournaments, in Kanto, Orange, Johto, and Hoenn, that he participated in. He began to see himself, in a stadium in Sinnoh. That was his next journey. Yolei saw his eyes on the stadium, and smiled. "Looks like you've taken a liking to Giants Stadium." Ash nodded, willing to say why he was liking the stadium.

"It reminds me of entering the Pokémon leagues, and the stadiums, I battled in." Well, Ash's battles were not fancy basketball crossovers, or vicious football tackles. Coming from the seasoned trainer, Yolei blushed. Oh boy! Ash saw the blush, concerned that she was showing illness. "You okay?" Yolei softly mumbled a yes. She wasn't sick...well, maybe, a little lovesick.

"There was more, than showing you, what the city looked like, from here." Ash turned his head. What more did Yolei wanted to say? "You see, I've heard that you've been scanning the city, for a whole week. It's just that-"

"I get it, but I'm not happy about it." Yolei was stunned, even though, Ash interrupted her. When she recovered, she knew that the "Grand Central Station" scheme was exposed. "Kari's nowhere to be found?" Ash was truthful to his words. Yolei was wondering the length of this knowledge.

"How long have you known about it?"

"Early this morning, when talking to Gatomon." So, not too long ago. The girl huffed a chuckle, now, understanding what Duplica mentioned.

"I should trust you're friends, more often." Ash still felt confident to find the girl he desired.

"I promised Gatomon, that I'll still look for her, no matter where I need to go." You gotta admire his will and determination. That's when Yolei decided to pop the question. Would he bite?

"Listen, you remember back when you, Misty, T.K. and Kari left Violet Village, and ran into us?" Ash did remember the time, when they had met for the first time, on RainBellian, and nodded. "Well, I believe, that's when I began to have feelings for you." Ash's eyes widened, unsure if he was wanting to believe her. "I mean, the way you've kept you're composure, your skills as a trainer, the way you even look, too. Even, the time, we bathed together, and how you appeared in Pikachu armor, after you retrieved Ergaia's Fusion Orb." Here it came. "I guess, what I'm getting at, is that I've loved you, Ash Ketchum." She said it. Yes, she said it. Ash was shocked. This randomly violent girl, had fallen for such a tough Pokémon trainer. Ash was now in mental crosswinds. He fell for Kari, but now, Yolei had confessed to falling for him. It was a bit much for Ash to take.

"I don't know, if I want to say it back to you, right now." His mind was still on Kari, and Yolei knew about it. She bobbed her head, in realization.

"I know. You still feel that Kari's top priority, and it's okay." Although his mind was on the missing girl, Ash did appreciate Yolei's feelings. She had been honest.

"Thanks, anyway. Of all the Digidestined, you've been the one, I trust the most." Yolei giggled a bit. She accepted Ash's soft spoken words.

"You're more than welcome." They viewed the scene for a few more minutes, before they decided to exit the Statue of Liberty. Aquillamon flew everyone back to mainland, to Mimi's home. The redhead male, Izzy, saw Ash and Yolei, and called Ash over to a different room for a bit. Ash was wondering what Izzy needed.

"What's up? Did you find anything?"

"I did, but it's about the marking on your arm," Izzy issued. "I've done some research about the marking on your arm. I found out that the arm has been possessed by a legendary devil, called the 'InfiniDemon Arm.'" Run that name again? The...InfiniDemon?

"Sounds like a nasty devil. Anything big about it?"

"Well, the devil was a master of the elements. All the devil would need is a sample of an element, and manipulate that element, to cause havoc amongst the environment. The only thing that could ease the devil was a being, called _Sanctimonia Castuum Sacerdotis._" Izzy, don't speak Latin to us...

"In english, please?"

"It's Latin for Priestess of holy Purity." Priestess? Holy Purity? Whoa. Wonder if that could mean the end of Ash's nightmares? "If, by all means, you were a descendant of InfiniDemon, then you were given the arm, for a soul purpose." What purpose was Ash given, with the arm of a powerful devil? The night fell, as Ash remembered being with every other Digidestined, besides Kari, for the week, he's been in New York. He reentered the journal.

AUGUST 6- WELL, KARI IS NOWHERE AROUND THE GORGEOUS CITY OF NEW YORK. HOWEVER, I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR ABOUT YOLEI, SAYING THAT SHE LOVES ME. I'VE GOT NOTHING AGAINST HER. IN FACT, I GUESS, IF I FIND, AND I HOPE IT'S NOT THE CASE, THAT KARI HAD PASSED ON, AT LEAST THERE IS SOMEONE WHO WOULD COMFORT ME, DESPITE THE KNOWLEDGE OF MY ARM, INHABITED BY A DEVIL. I BELIEVE THAT THIS DEVIL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MY NIGHTMARES, BUT WHY? DOES IT KNOW ABOUT THIS PRIESTESS OF HOLY PURITY? IS KARI THAT PRIESTESS? IF, BY ALL MEANS, KARI, THE PRIESTESS NEWS, MY NIGHTMARES, AND THE INFINIDEVIL ARE RELATED, THEN, I'M AFRAID. I'M AFRAID OF WHAT I NEED TO DO. WHAT CAN I DO? CUT MY ARM OFF? MAYBE NOT. I WANT TO TRUST THIS DEVIL...AS A LAST RESORT.

Ash looked at the mark on his arm. His arm was a weapon. A dangerous, powerful weapon that could turn the tide of battle. Kari. If she was seeing this, she would know how much stress had stacked on top of him. He needed to find her, no matter how far, how long, how much he had to endure.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...(That's the last chapter for the journal entries...for now. It's also the last of the 1-on-1 meetings with the Digidestined. Don't worry ComicMan41, you'll be in the next chapter, which will have some original Digimon, as well as a beloved Pokémon, returning to the scene, as New York is plunged into utter chaos.)


	11. Darkness of the Hero

_Chapter Disclaimer: Here's a list of what I don't own: Pani Poni Dash, Gunsmith Cats, Devil May Cry 3, or ComicMan416. However, will it count for a custom Digimon? _

_Chapter 11: Darkness of the Hero_

Mimi's house was a peaceful place to be in...except for today. A good portion of the Digidestined were upset at Yolei. She had told Ash about the false search for Kari, when they knew the whole time that she was nowhere on Earth, much less New York. "That was suppose to be our secret," Davis hollered at her. "What were you thinking?" She was thinking about falling for the trainer. She confessed to Ash, that she had loved him for quite some time. However, Ash was still focused on Kari, so, saying that finding her was useless, didn't seem to get through Ash's thick skull.

"He said, he already figured that Kari wasn't here!" she screamed back. "There was nothing, I could do, to convince him, that she was." Mimi and T.K. were in the kitchen, away from the others, as Yolei was getting fumed on, by the others, and she was willing to fight back. This was one of those occasions, that she meant what she felt. Feelings for Ash, Kari's whereabouts, the whole New York voyage...

"I never thought that bringing Ash, here, would bring such a strain, on the rest of us," T.K. sighed, trying to drown out the heated argument. It caused quite a stir, and the entire city had been going crazy about the trainer. From the players at Rucker Park, to the fan girls, lying in wait throughout the area, people of New York seemed to have welcomed Ash, with opened arms. Still, despite the exploding argument from the other room, the attention was still on the mental state of Ash.

"Well, he has given New York, something to be excited about," Mimi gleed. "But, now that Ash has found out our scheme, what do we do?" That's a good question. Suddenly, she began to wonder, if Ash left the house, yet again. This _was_ Ash, they're talking about, so there was a good chance, he did depart from the house. "By the way, did Ash say where he was heading off to?" T.K. gave Mimi a hard glare, like she had asked a stupid question.

"He tells any of us, squat." Realizing that no one had a clue, Mimi sighed. She wanted to help Ash, as much as possible. Little did she figure, that Ash would need help. Duplica stormed into the kitchen, with a panicked look on her face. What's going on? "Duplica?"

"Izzy needs us, in the computer room!" she yelled in urgency. "Now!" It must've been serious to get everyone attention. T.K. and Mimi joined the rest of the Digidestined and Digimon, as well as Todd and the Dittos, in the computer room. Izzy had the floor.

"There have been digital tears opening up throughout New York," he explained. "I've gotten reports from Michael, that swarms of Flymon are invading and attacking people." Hold on...Michael was a Digidestined? He didn't have a Digimon, with him. And who were these Flymon? Yolei knew that Ash still went out, and realized that he was in trouble.

"Ash had gone out for his reasons," she pointed out. "And who knows, if Pokémon can do damage to Digimon." Well, there's no reason, not to suspect that a Pokémon can hurt a Digimon.

"Well, whatever the case, I say, we go out and stop the Flymon," Davis roared.

"I'm with you, Davis," Veemon agreed proudly. It seemed those two were ready to go, and save New York. The Digidestined and Digimon agreed to go and save the city, from this invasion. What about Todd and Duplica? They didn't want to stay, behind, while Ash was out, in danger.

"Let us, come with," she requested. Cody was there to deny her willingness to go and save Ash.

"No, you and Todd, need to remain here," he told. Tai was quick to backup Cody's words.

"Cody's got a point," he said. "What good is a photographer, and a copying trainer, when you've had barely any knowledge, of what Digimon do, in times, like this?" Duplica wasn't worried about the Flymon, or the New Yorkers. She was worried about her friend.

"Are you saying, that I need to stay and let Ash, get killed, out there?" she grilled. Yolei knew that Ash would be okay. She's seen Ash, with that arm, in action. If Ash was able to use that arm of the InfiniDemon to save people, he wouldn't hesitate. She had full belief for the trainer, she had fallen for.

"I think, Ash will be the savior, and not the saving," she muttered. Everyone turned to the lavender-haired girl, with a "huh?" sound. Meanwhile, unbeknown to him and company, Ash and Pikachu were walking through Central Park with Kimberly and Joshua. Kimberly had fully recovered from that attack, by the fallen gang, Queens' Kings. Pikachu was on Kimberly's shoulder, seeing the park from a slightly different height.

"Ash, thanks, again, for saving me, from that gang," she acknowledged. "I guess, I wasn't, as tough, as back in Austin." So, she was from the capital of Texas. Nice place to live. "Who taught you, how to fight, like that? Your dad?" Ash hadn't seen his father for about 13 years. His mother was too much of a caring person, to try a self-defense class.

"No, actually, I haven't heard from my pop, for quite some time," he admitted. "I train alongside my Pokémon, probably why I've been able to save you from serious injury." Well, interesting enough. Joshua huffed a silent laugh, like it was humorous.

"So, you don't know his whereabouts?" he asked. Ash shook his head. Talk about a deserting father. "You're probably lucky. At least, you saw your dad. I bet, he's out there, thinking how proud, he is, about your accomplishments." Ash was astonished. From the bottom of his heart, or the roof of his brain, depending on what angle, you look at, Joshua said that Ash's father would be proud of the fact that he was one of the strongest trainers. Kimberly's thoughts began to believe that Joshua had no father, to begin with. If true, then how would he have been born? Of course, you've got modern science, for that.

"Are you saying that you've never seen your dad?" she wondered. Little did the Pallet Town trainer and the Texan know, about Joshua's past.

"Actually, I was adopted. I never got to meet my biological mom and dad." Whoa! That's a gust of wind of a new direction. Poor young man was given off, after his birth. Must have been in an area where there were "Safe Haven" laws. "The mom and dad, I had, were a really nice couple. They helped me with schoolwork, and I've helped them, with chores and cooking. Then, one day, I was with Dad, while we were school clothes shopping. There was a scuffle, in a mini mall hallway, between a couple of store employees, and a belligerent drunk. My dad ran over, to help control the drunkard, when that man pulled a revolver from his pants. Wildly, he fired a few shots. Two hit Dad, in the thigh and in the temple. The drunk coward saw what he did, and ran off. One store employee ran after the drunk, while the other attended to Dad. He never got up. He died, trying to protect me." Poor kid. His adopted father lost his life, trying to stop a fight, before it got out of hand, and he saw the whole thing. Ash and Kimberly were shunned, at the impact of losing, not only his blood parents, but his father, going above and beyond what a citizen was capable of.

"I'm sorry, Joshua," Ash mumbled. Joshua acknowledged Ash's sorrow, providing the fact that the two basketball players were comforting this shattered young man's life. As they proceeded on, Ash saw someone walking towards a lake. With a good look, he saw who it was. "Trina?" He ran over, as Trina was entering the lake, tears running down her face. Something happened to her, the other day.

"Goodbye, world," she murmured. No, she wasn't...she wasn't going to...Ash grabbed her arm, stopping Trina from making her dive. Thank goodness. Trina turned to see Ash, not letting go of her arm. She got upset. "What do you think you're doing?" Try stopping someone from committing suicide.

"I'd like to ask you, the same thing." Trina tried to get Ash, to let go of him, but, even without the strength of the InfiniDemon, Ash held firm on Trina's arm. "Stop fighting!" After a minute of struggling, Trina stopped and collapsed on her knees, crying. Joshua and Kimberly raced over to Ash's side, seeing the distraught girl.

"What happened?" Joshua wondered. Ash stopped Trina, from ending her life, that's what happened. Ash was trying to think, why Trina wanted to kill herself Trina's crying had Kimberly, huddling over her, in an attempt at comforting the suicidal girl.

"Why, Ash?" Trina whined. "Why didn't you let me die?" Girl, why did you want to die, in the first place?

"Calm down," Kimberly ordered. Tearing still, Trina tried to ease herself. Everyone was wondering why commit murder to herself. "Why, on earth, are you willing to hurt yourself?" Trina wanted to say her piece.

"I told Mom, that I wanted to stay. Dad heard me, and killed Mom, before he turned the gun on himself. I have no family, and no one has cared about it: not the police, not the media, no one." Poor girl. She's lost her parents, in a senseless act of violence, upon her freedom to stay in New York, rather than go to San Francisco. Now, she's an orphan. Still, Ash thought that she forgot about the Digidestined, he offered...or these two.

"What about us?" he pointed out. Halting her tears, Trina looked at the trainer. He had a point. As Trina got to her feet, Kimberly was a touch disgusted with Trina's little decision to run from her situation, by ending her life.

"Besides, if it hadn't been for Ash, here, you would've joined your dad, than your mom," she groveled. Trina shot a baffled look at the Texan. "My family's catholic, and suicide is considered a sin. What your dad did, was cowardly, and he deserved any punishment, that was coming to him. The thing, you need to do, is live today, and get help. There's someone who'll be there, who can help you." Trina realized that these three had cared a lot for her. She hugged Kimberly, in a way to say thanks. Then, Pikachu sensed something coming. It turned to a fixed direction, and spotted...

("We got trouble!") it yelled out. That's when everyone turned to a mutated giant bee, with purple wings. What radioactive facility did this insect come out? Was this, the Flymon, Izzy was talking about?

"Things were not that big in Texas!" Maybe not, but that bee was ready to strike. It stuck it's tail out.

"Brown Stingers!" it called out. It fired spikes, at the teens. Pikachu leaped off of Kimberly, with its tail glowing. Swiping its tail, Pikachu swatted the stingers away. Good work.

"Nice Iron Tail, Pikachu," Ash complimented. Thanks to Pikachu, the kids were safe. Ash's concern was on the friends. "Get to shelter...quick!" The three others nodded, before running off. Ash and Pikachu were facing the bug, now. As if Davis was there, you could've heard his voice.

"Flymon is a champion Digimon," he volumed about the bee-like insect. "This virus has a bad attitude with humans, and it's Brown Stinger attack contains enough poison to knock out anything." Ash was facing down a supposed powerful Digimon, but keep in mind, this was Ash in action, so Classic Ash could be on its way. Ash grabbed two of his Pokéballs, and threw them out.

"Zuby, Psyduck, go!" Zuby and Psyduck emerged as their balls opened. When Psyduck saw Flymon, in an instant, he became frightened. "Don't let that bug intimidate you!" This duck was acting too much like a chicken. Even Ash knew about the wimpy Pokémon. 'What can I do? Psyduck doesn't have a headache, and its attacks are nothing but jokes.' That's when something popped into his head. Psyduck's soft head could be beneficial. "Psyduck, Skull Bash!" Wait...Skull Bash? Can Psyduck use an attack like that? As it lowered it's head, Flymon was ready to attack, again.

"Brown Stingers!" it buzzed, shooting more of the venomous stingers. Ash had to act fast.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail! Zuby, Steel Wing!" Pikachu's tail was glowing again, and so were Zuby's wings. With swipes and flaps, the stingers were deflected, again. Then, Psyduck launched itself, and slammed into the Digimon...but it was only a glancing blow. Psyduck retreated, but felt the massively sharp pain in its head, like it had a...headache?

"What was that? I didn't feel a thing." Not yet, anyway. As the headache was building, Ash got back to his full-time partner.

"Oh, yeah? Then, feel this. Pikachu, Thunder!" Pikachu launched huge lightning from his cheeks, striking, and fully consuming Flymon. Flymon crumbled to the ground, fried like burnt fish. It wasn't done. It got back up, as Psyduck head trauma got worse. Ash saw its pain, knowing about how Psyduck's attacks work, and just in time. Flymon fired more Brown Stingers. It was psychic time. "Psyduck, Confusion!" That's when Psyduck's body was glowing blue. Then, the stingers stopped and were glowing blue. Spinning mysteriously in midair, the stingers were now aimed at Flymon. Like a fastball pitch, thrown by the "Rocket" (and not a member of Team Rocket, if you somehow have that thought), the stingers zipped at, and struck Flymon heavily. Now, that's a taste of your own medicine. Flymon fell. Psyduck looked on, stunned at what it did. He'd soon be the one, stunning Ash and Pikachu, because Psyduck and Zuby were glowing. Ash watched, thinking that it was something he saw, many times over.

("Are they...evolving?") Pikachu wondered. If they were morphing, then yep, they were. Well, guess what? They were growing up. After a minute of shining change, they stopped glowing. Psyduck was no more of a goofy, useless duck. Heck, it wasn't yellow, either. It looked a lot cooler, and bluer. It had larger webbed hands and feet, and supported a red jewel on. If Misty gave Ash, her Psyduck, for a little while, man, wouldn't she be surprised to see it, now. Same could be said with Brock's Zuby. The bat was a lot bigger: wings, mouth, feet, and eyes. Yes, people, this bat can, now, see. It was still red, though.

"Awesome," Ash cheered. "Psyduck's a Golduck, and Zuby's a Golbat!" Golduck was ready for some action. It didn't need to wait. Another Flymon was approaching. Golduck wasted little time, and fired a heavy yellow beam from its jewel, striking that Flymon, and sending it packing. "Now that's a Hyper Beam!" Suddenly, the first Flymon was getting up. Guess that one doesn't know when to quit.

"It's not over," it growled. That one wasn't expecting this. Golbat created, and fired a dark ball, nailing that Flymon, again. It had to be out now.

"Nice Shadow Ball, Golbat." Golbat squeaked happily at the compliment. Either that bug has the determination that Ash possesses, or it doesn't when to give up, but the bee-like creature was getting up. It flew back up for a few seconds, when...BANG! BANG! BANG! Three shots from a gun echoed, and ripped through Flymon's body and head. Finally, it crumpled and stopped moving, for good. Ash turned and saw Rally and Peter, getting over to he and his Pokémon. "Rally, Peter, what are you doing here?" Peter appeared to be more energized than Rally, and was willing to speak.

"You didn't hear?" he questioned. "There's an evacuation going on throughout New York. We're trying to help out, when we saw you with that mutant bug." As soon as Rally got her wing back, her willingness to back Peter up was ready.

"Are you okay, Ash?" she wondered. Ash nodded, but knew that these two needed help. That's when he saw more Flymon were buzzing over Central Park. There was trouble.

"I gotta go," he argued. "Take Golbat with you!" Before Rally could reply, Ash, Pikachu and Golduck bolted. Peter, Rally and Golbat were left dumbfounded...a bit.

"Never, in my complicated thoughts, would I need to take care of a freaky giant bat," Peter groveled. 'Well, there's still a super hot gunslinger, at my side.' How complicated, his mind was, would be something, not to bother asking. Meanwhile, the Digidestined had arrived at Times Square. They had a good look at the incoming swarm, knowing that they had to act.

"Anyone got the feeling that the Flymon saw that Alfred Hitchcock movie?" Matt tried to joke. What movie would that be? Tai needed to get their Digimon in gear.

"Guys, it's time to get this city, bug-free," he ordered. "You ready?" With a nod from everyone and everything, the humans brought out their Digivices and D3s. It was time to digivolve. Veemon was first, as all the Digimon began to glow and morph.

"Veemon Digivolve to...ExVeemon!" it roared out. ExVeemon emerged from the morph. Next was Wormmon.

"Wormmon Digivolve to...Stingmon!" was that call. Stingmon had emerged, as Patamon was next. The angel was ready to descend.

"Patamon Digivolve to...Angemon!" was the cry. Patamon had morphed into something like an adult male. The new creature was decked in a white suit with six white wings, and held a golden rod. The long-haired blonde man wore a blue ribbon on an arm and leg, as well as a blue loincloth. Hawkmon was next.

"Hawkmon Digivolve to...Aquillamon!" Aquillamon made its appearance. Armadillomon was up.

"Armadillomon Digivolve to...Ankylomon!" it shouted. Armadillomon appeared jacked up. It appeared to have more spikes, than one of the pits in a certain bloody video game, and its tail looked like a mace hammer. Now, it was time for the veterans, starting with Tentomon.

"Tentomon Digivolve to...Kabuterimon!" it loudly buzzed. Tentomon grew into a giant blue mantis on steroids. There were four wings, four arms, and two legs, plus, it was equipped with a black, harden helmet with a horn sticking out. Next was Gomamon.

"Gomamon Digivolve to...Ikkakumon!" it cried out. Gomamon turned into a wooly giant walrus, with a horn on its head. Palmon was up.

"Palmon Digivolve to...Togemon!" it shouted. Palmon grew into a giant walking cactus with boxing gloves. Biyomon was ready.

"Biyomon Digivolve to...Birdramon!" it cawed. Biyomon turned into a giant phoenix, with a huge jawed beak. Tai and Matt wanted to try something.

"You think, we can still do the warp?" Tai questioned. Warp, as in...warp digivolution? Matt gave the idea, a second to process.

"It's worth a try," he motioned. That's when their devices were glowing brighter, and Agumon and Gabumon, too.

"Agumon Warp Digivolve to...WarGreymon!" Agumon roared out. If BlackWarGreymon was a carbon copy, then this Digimon must have been the original, especially, the red and gold armor, and red hair.

"Gabumon Warp Digivolve to...MetalGarurumon!" it growled up. Gabumon had gone hi-tech. It became a giant mechanical wolf, with gold blades on its back and as a tail. It was action time. The heroic Digimon flew up to face the Flymon invasion...most of them, anyway. The heroic group didn't want to waste time, in clearing the sky.

"V-Laser!" ExVeemon summoned. A beam was shot out of it's chest, nailing a couple of the Flymon.

"Spiking Strike!" Stingmon roared. A purple blade came out of it's arm, and speared a Flymon, then another and another. Each one fell to the pavement...and right to...

"Tail Hammer!" Ankylomon growled. It swung its tail, like a baseball bat, and connected on the fallen viruses, out of the city. "Home Run!" Hey, save some for the veteran Digimon.

"Why don't you try a little Needle Spray!" Togemon barked as it showered the sky with a shower of cactus needles. A ton of the hostiles got the point...er, points, literally.

"Grand Horn!" Aquillamon beaked. It's horn were shining a blood red, as it zoomed at the stunned and stung Flymon. KAPOW! They gone down, and don't appear to be getting up.

"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon cawed. It let out a shower of falling meteors, crushing a few unsuspecting Digimon.

"Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon volumed. It fired it's horn out, before the horn broke, exposing a cluster of green missiles. KAPLOW! Those Flymon wouldn't be getting up, either.

"Electro Shocker" Kabuterimon buzzed. It launched a heavy beam of purple electricity, nailing a line of the bugs. Man, the Flymon aren't standing a chance.

"Hand of Fate!" Angemon voiced. He fired a beam of light from his arm. That beam pummeled the bee-like creatures, sending them crashing to the earth.

"Wolf Missiles!" MetalGarurumon howled. It fired swarms of missiles, striking the insects. However, instead of burning explosions, the Flymon froze, and became beesicles.

"Terra Force!" WarGreymon called out. That's when a huge orb of energy was formed, before it was thrown, and struck the swarms. These Digimon were in control, and taking no prisoners. However, back up came, and man, there were more than ever.

"Here comes the second wave," Stingmon warned. Before the Digimon could attack, again, Cody wanted to speak up. He appeared to have a plan.

"We gotta make the DNA jump, now," he suggested. DNA jump? How did that work? Davis thought that the DNA thing was a good idea.

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed. He was ready to do that DNA junk, but T.K. didn't believe it would work, as their Digimon continued to fight the Flymon.

"Guys, hold on," he voiced up. "It won't matter. Our Digimon are battling hard enough with the Flymon, and they don't seem to stop coming." Okay, your point? "We take out one Flymon, three more take their place. We need to find the digital tear and seal it up." There were a few people who were wanting to back T.K., and Sora was one of them.

"What we need to do, is split up into three teams," she offered. "One takes care of the Flymon, another will find the tear and seal it up, and a third will make sure that the people are evacuated." Tai heard the suggestions from his redhead friend, and decided to make the teams. What would those teams be?

"Alright," he agreed. "Matt, Davis, Mimi and I will monitor the fight. Izzy, Ken, T.K., Sora, find that tear, and do what you can to seal it." The names acknowledged the plan and nodded. That only left Joe, Cody, and Yolei, without an assignment. Tai was ready to give the three, one. "That leaves the three of you, to find Ash and help with the evacuation." To Yolei, it was an assignment, she was willing to do. She agreed, before the two mobile teams ran off. Cody and Joe got on their Digimon, and moved out, with Yolei, falling behind. If there was a tear, the second team needed to fight through the wave of Flymon, thus, they headed out. That only meant that WarGreymon, ExVeemon, Togemon and MetalGarurumon were fightning the endless barrage. Meanwhile, Rally, Peter and Golbat were racing throughout the city, making sure that everyone was out of the area. Rally, holding her handgun, felt that their job was complete. She holstered her weapon, and started to sigh in relief.

"Looks like we got everyone out of the district," she huffed. Well, everyone but the Digidestined. Still, Peter felt that they did all they could, to assist the citizens.

"That's good to know," he muttered. Then, his thoughts had gone back to Ash. Why did he entrust Golbat to those two, before running off, presumably, to safety? Suddenly, Joe, Yolei and Cody appeared, running downtown, with their Digimon, close by. Peter and Golbat spotted them, just as they got together. "Joe, what are you doing, still here? You gotta go!" Joe was ready to explain, their assignment.

"We were, in charge of helping with the clearing of the city," he pointed out. Rally wanted to tell them that time evacuation was done.

"We've already taken care of that," she issued. "But, thanks anyway, for your assistance." That's when Yolei came up, worried about the wandering trainer, and his Golbat, he left to Peter.

"Well, I take the fact that you ran into Ash," she figured. "Do you know, where he is?" When Peter and Rally last saw them, he ran off from Central Park, leaving the giant bat with the Illini and Wisconsinite.

"We saw him, leaving Central Park, but that was the last we saw of him," he clarified. Golbat squeaked in acknowledgment, since it was a witness. Cody liked the news about the evacuation, but knew that Ash wouldn't be hiding from this big brawl.

"If Ash saw these Flymon, he wouldn't run," he bellowed. "He'd try to help us." That's right. He'd help anyone in trouble. As Rally was telling the Digidestined about what their plans were, now, Peter's senses kicked up. The senses turned to a skyscraper, and saw the missing boy...Ash. Where was Pikachu and Golduck?

"Ash?" he wondered. Everyone turned to the skyscraper, which had a good look over the situation. He wanted to act, as he removed the long sleeve spandex shirt, which had a sleeveless shirt, underneath, plus the mark of the InfiniDemon. A gentle breeze blew at his arm, causing the mark to change. The mark turned into a pair of parallel lines, with swirls decorated on the outside of the lines. Looked like he had inherited wind as music started from the background. 

* * *

**I steal a soul for a second chance,  
But you will never become a man.**

**My chosen torture makes me stronger,  
In a life, that craves the hunger,  
A freedom, and a quest for life,  
Until the end of Judgment Night. **

Ash leaped off the building, right into the path of some Flymon. Ash was in trouble, right? Dead wrong. BAM! Ash began swatting the Flymon, with the wind powers, sending each virus down. Like island skipping, Ash bashed one after the other, as he bounced off of sides of neighboring buildings. If you think, he was just using his super powered left arm, think again. He focused his powers to every part of his body. Even the Brown Stingers were becoming useless. Ash was on a roll. 

* * *

**Bless me, with your gift of light,  
Righteous cause on Judgment Night;  
Feel the sorrow, the light has swallowed;  
Feel the freedom, like no tomorrow! **

The Digimon saw Ash's swift attacks, wondering, if that was him. They were fortunate, that the attacks were not focused on them, as the Flymon were still getting grounded. Ash wouldn't let up! 

* * *

**Stepping forth, a cure, for souls' demise;  
Reap the tears of the victims' cries;  
Yearning more, to hear the suffer, of a...  
Of a demon, as I put it under...**

**Killed before...a time to kill them all;  
Passed down, the righteous law;  
Serve a justice, that dwells in me;  
Lifeless corpses, as far as the eye can see!  
The eye can see!  
The eye can see!**

**The eye can see. **

With one more shot, Ash was high in the sky. See was surveying the situation, with shining gold eyes. Suddenly, Aquillamon snagged Ash from the air, thankful that Ash was okay. "Ash, thank goodness, to see you alive through all these Flymon," he sighed in relief. "What happened to your Pokémon?" Yeah, where was Pikachu and Golduck?

"I got them, back home," he replied. Oh, so Pikachu and Golduck were back with Todd, Duplica and Gatomon. As they continued, they caught up with Kabuterimon, Angemon, Birdramon and Stingmon. The four Digimon were having a difficult time, and what they were fighting, was a lot bigger than the other Flymon. In fact, it was birthing Flymon. Oh, boy.

"What's the situation?" Angemon was ready to explain.

"Take a look," he groaned. The two turned to the new Digimon, which had a crown on it's head. "That's QueenFlymon. She has the ability to give birth to thousands of Flymon at a time. Her Venom Needle attack has enough poison to kill a rhino." QueenFlymon? Ash wanted to take care of that queen, but his arm was empty. There was no more wind, as he saw his mark, back to that smudge. What now? That's when he turned to Birdramon. He must have seen that Meteor Wing attack. He needed an element for fire. Birdramon was the ticket.

"Birdramon, fire away!" Birdramon wasn't sure if it wanted to strike. Probably, it believed that the attack won't do much damage on QueenFlymon, but, when Ash nodded, it wanted to try.

"Meteor Wing!" it beaked, as it unleashed more of the burning meteors. That's when Ash, leaped up. So, that's his plan. As he snagged a meteor, Aquillamon figured out his motion, and turned to Angemon.

"Angemon, screen Ash for a few seconds," it ordered. Now Angemon got Ash's unspoken message. Ash's mark became shapes of fire. Ash raced toward the Queen, with Angemon leading the way. It was the wise move.

"Venom Needle!" the monsterous queen bee Digimon summoned. It fired flurries of large needles at the two. Angemon had his staff ready.

"Angel Rod!" he called. Spinning his staff, Angemon was able to deflect the needles, clearing the way for Ash. "It's all yours!"

"You got it!" Ash acknowledged, as Angemon flew aside. As he cocked his arm for use, his arm twitched. It acted like the arm was reacting on its own. 'My arm! I need it...to protect my friends!' He fought the sensation in his arm, long enough. He swung and connected his punch at the evil bug's crown. Bull's eye! The punch sent the queen crashing into the ground. Then, out of the blue, Ash was holding a pair of white fireballs. Things were heating up. QueenFlymon tried to rise, again, when Ash fired the hot orbs. The fireballs were so large in size, there was no way around them. They struck and consumed the queen bee in the raging fire. She screamed in pain, trying to fight off the flames. Then, she became silent, as the bee-like Digimon, laid on the ground. There was one more insect that wouldn't be bothering anyone again. The Digidestined and Digimon ran over to see the dead QueenFlymon, as Ash was holding his arm. Something was wrong. The Digimon reverted back to their original forms, as Yolei and Tai approached him. While the fallen QueenFlymon started to disintegrate, Ash's arm began to pulse, like it was alive. That's kind of creepy.

"Ash, are you-" Yolei's soft words of concern when...

"Don't come near!" he yelled. He clasped his arm, trying to retain control of it. Was his arm, _really _alive?

"Calm down, dude," Davis coolly hummed. "Thanks, for helping us, but, dude, that was risky." If he meant the jump from the skyscraper, taking out the Flymon Air Force, without Pokémon assistance, and saving New York...yeah, that _was_ risky. After a moment of silence, Ash got to his feet. Where was he planning to go?

"Excuse me!" He bolted from the scene, arm still being held. Yolei was wanting to be by Ash's side, but, before she gave chase, Ken grabbed her shoulder. Yolei turned and saw Ken, shaking his head, telling her, not to go after him. Yolei wanted to protest, and go after Ash, but, maybe, Ken believed that he needed some time alone. It was a lot of work, he did. Besides, the Digidestined had to clean it up. Ash was running down streets, still clutching his active arm, with the mark swirling around it. So, it's not the arm, but InfiniDemon's mark that was going wild. Suddenly, there was a certain blond girl who was in front of a church. She turned to a direction, and saw Ash, and that mark. Seeing that mark swirling...

"Okay, that's weird," she hiccuped. Ash stopped in front of her, and the church. His arm was reacting to the InfiniDemon's mark, so much, he collapsed to a knee. As soon as he saw the doors to the church, he dove inside. The girl decided to follow. Inside, Ash saw a basin, full of water. It _is_ a church, so, chances are, that the basin was full of holy water. He dipped the arm into it. It appeared to be working. The mark was stopping, and his arm began to calm down. Soon enough, he had full command of the arm, again.

"What a relief," he sighed. He began to review, trying to determine how his arm had gone wild, like that "Was it, that I used two different elements, without my arm, resting?" Not letting his arm rest? Was the mark angry for not restoring itself? That's when he felt her presence, and turned to her. Both kids eyed each other, observing each other. "Hello?" That's when he remembered the photo, from the news, he saw. "Are you...Rebbecca Miyamoto?" The girl echoed a yelp in surprise. So, she was Rebbecca.

"You...you saw the news story?" Ash nodded. Suddenly, her surprise turned to upset. "I can't believe, they still did that story, despite my protest." Guess the nine-year-old MIT schoolgirl didn't want to be found out. Then, she remembered seeing him, like the first day, he and his friends arrived in NYC. "Say, aren't you that Ash Ketchum kid? There's been news about you, for a long time." Well, he had been popular, amongst the news for the week.

"So, I've heard. Listen, why go we discuss this, somewhere else." After a while, Ash and Rebbecca were back at Central Park, as the streets were refilled with the daily commuters. Ash and Rebbecca were talking about what they were doing, in New York, in the first place. When Ash told her that he was looking for Kari, she didn't want to believe him. However, she did see that arm, so something had to click, to understand.

"Well, that girl has to be real important to you, since you're still in the pursuit." Ash nodded. Despite being told that the Digital Dragnet was a lie, and that Kari was nowhere on Earth, Ash was still bent on finding her.

"I promised, a certain someone, that I'd find her, no matter what." Dedication, Holmes. Rebbecca was a bit awed by the quit-less attitude. No matter what...

"I wish, I had that same grit, you've got." Ash was wondering why she muttered that.

"You're heading to that Institution in Cambridge, in a few weeks, right?" Rebbecca bobbed her head. This was true. "What are you looking forward to become?" Come on, we're anxious to know.

"I want to become a teacher, for a school in Japan." Huh? A schoolteacher in Japan? Not here, in the U.S.A.? "I have a sister, who watches over me, better than my parents, so, when I graduate, I'll be with my sister...and have a career." Okay...but a schoolteacher? At her age?

"Hey, go for it. What's gonna stop you?" Wouldn't you like to know? Suddenly, something triggered Ash's senses. Was it one of the Digidestined, or a Digimon? That's when he looked up and saw a small white fairy-like creature, with red and blue spots on it. It's head was shaped like a crown. Ash had a gut feeling on who it was. "Is that, who I think it is?" Rebbecca saw the creature as it descended to the two, rather happy to see Ash.

("There you are, Ash,") it chirped excitedly. Ash knew who it was.

"Togetic, what are you doing her?" Togetic. Misty's baby Pokémon, Togepi, before it evolved during the time at RainBellian. Rebbecca was stunned at the cuteness of this Togetic. "What about the Togepi Paradise, and the Mirage Kingdom?"

("We're doing okay.") Rebbecca wanted to know about this creature.

"Ash, what in the world is that?" she wondered. Ash was more than willing to fill her in.

"This is Togetic," he introduced. "It was once mothered by a friend of mine, until it grew up." Togetic flew down and saw the schoolteacher-wannabe. It was a real cheerful Pokémon, and Rebbecca couldn't help but smile.

"It's a real cutie!" Ash giggled a bit. Then, his mind went into overdrive. Togetic being here...was there a way to get to the Pokémon world?

'Hold on. Togetic is here, in New York City. He came from the Togepi Paradise, so then, I could go home and ready to start in Sinnoh. But the Paradise is in the Hoenn region.' Suddenly, he remembered somewhere. Somewhere, that could greatly help find Kari. 'Of course, the Kiri Kiri Mountains. There's the Baltoy's time machine, that I can use to find the last whereabouts of Kari, before her disappearance. It's a long shot, but, it's the only thing, we can use, for the moment.' Rebbecca saw Ash, severely deep in thought. She began to wonder, if he was okay.

"Yo, Ash. Something on your mind?" Ash snapped out of his deep thinking. He needed to act.

"Prof. Miyamoto, I gotta go. I need to get a search party organized." Rebbecca was shunned. Ash called her, a professor. Then, he said "search party," meaning that Ash was going to go back on the search for Kari. He needed to get his friends and go on the hunt.

"Alright, Ash. Be careful." With a final bob, Ash and Togetic raced back to Mimi's house. There, T.K., Yolei, Izzy, Patamon, Hawkmon, Tentomon and Gatomon were thrilled to see Togetic, again. Ash was with the rest of the Digidestined, discussing his plan on trying to pinpoint Kari's location. Hearing Ash out, some of the Digidestined were shocked. It meant going to Ash's world, and using a sci-fi invention to help find Kari.

"Tell me, that you're kidding," Tai stammered. "Do you expect us to believe that this so-called Baltoy Time Machine can tell us, where Kari is?" Ash wasn't backing down from his plan.

"I know, it's pretty far fetched of an idea, but, it's the only idea of where to go," he argued. Not many of the Digidestined were satisfied with the idea.

"Have you seen it work?" Joe questioned.

"Absolutely. I know how to get there, too." Ash knew that area well, so getting lost wasn't going to be a problem. The Digidestined gave the idea, a few minutes to think about it. Tai wanted to see his sister, again. This could help in finding her.

"All right," he groaned. "I'll go. This is my baby sister, we're talking about." So, Tai was willing to go. Any other takers?

"I'll go," Davis added. "I want to see Kari, again. She is a great friend to have." Davis was ready to come along. Who else?

"Ever since, meeting with Ash and Misty," T.K. brought up. "I did want to see their world, so why not?" Yep, T.K. wanted to come along, too.

"This is, also, my partner with DNA Digivolution," Yolei pointed out. "Do I need to say, anything else?" Nope, we got it. Yolei was welcomed aboard. "We should invite Ken." Ken?

"Me?" he hiccuped. Why him?

"We're gonna need Imperialdramon, if we need to hurry and get to this Kiri Kiri Mountains." Ah, good point. Ash, despite not knowing who Imperialdramon was, agreed to the idea of inviting Ken.

"I'd rather stay here," Cody protested. So much for this young man to see, something new.

"You can stay, if you want," Sora bellowed. "I'll come with. Can't have a single female in the group." So, Sora wanted to go. Everyone else bowed out, saying that the Pokémon world was not something, they wanted to see. Feeling satisfied with the haul, Ash was ready to address his plan.

"Okay, so we have Tai, Sora, Davis, Yolei, Ken and T.K. coming with me to seek the Time Machine," he reviewed. "So, here's the plan: we'll leave, first thing in the morning, and have Togetic open the gate to the Togepi Paradise. Once there, we'll crossover to the Mirage Kingdom, get on Imperialdramon, and fly over to the Kiri Kiri Mountains, and use the Time Machine. Then, we'll come back here, and go to where Kari is. Are we clear on the plan?" The six Digidestined nodded, understanding the plan. Night fell, as the seven and creatures were gearing up to go to the Pokémon world. The next morning, as the sun was rising from the Atlantic, Togetic and Ash were leading the the other followers, as they entered a neighborhood, where there was a sign, saying "Chinatown." They proceeded on, until they stopped at an ancient-like gate. Was this where Togetic emerged from? "Is this where you came from?"

("You bet,") Togetic answered. So, this was where the Togepi Paradise was located. Everyone was geared to go. With one nod, Togetic started to sway its tiny arms, back and forth, in a pendulum motion. As it's arms were glowing, it fired a beam at the gate, in which a portal opened up. So, this was it. Hopes to find Kari, came down to this.

"I can't believe, we're going into different monster grounds," Patamon huffed. That's a good way to put it.

"Yeah, but I do, kinda, wish that we'd be going on different terms," Ken murmured. "If we weren't going to search for Kari, I'd say, we'd be studying on what differences, each Pokémon and Digimon had." Ah, an observation ordeal.

"What we need to do, right now, is go through the portal, and into the Mirage Kingdom," Davis suggested. When everyone nodded...

"Well, let's not stall any longer," Tai grumbled. He and Agumon headed to, and entered the portal. Pokémon world, here they came. The band of seven (far different than the Band of Seven from InuYasha) entered the portal, as well as the creatures. Kari wasn't on RainBellian, nor in New York. What would be the chances that she'd be in the world of Pokémon? Ash was desperate to see Kari, again. This would be the start of the journey, where he'd gain something, and lose something else. What would they be? 

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED... 


	12. The Eggcellent Mirage

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_Chapter 12: The Egg-cellent Mirage_

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It looked like a wide open field, with trees, bushes, and nice grass. Then, you look at the trees, and see spots of red and blue. That's not normal. That's when you find egg-like creatures, with red and blue spots, as well, frolicking in the area. Where were we? Tai, Sora, Davis, Yolei, T.K., and Ken, as well as Agumon, Biyomon, Veemon, Wormmon, Hawkmon, and Patamon, were awe-struck at the land. Ash, Pikachu and Togetic knew this land, once before. Was this..? "Guys, welcome to the Togepi Paradise," Ash introduced the rest. Yolei and T.K. were familiar with the egg creatures. The only way: they've met one, several months ago.

"Get a load of all these Togepi," Yolei awed. So, these were Togepi. Well, some of the Togepi were in such a playful mood, they wanted to have a little fun with the Digimon.

"Wow, they're really friendly, aren't they," Biyomon giggled.

"I'll say," Patamon gleed. "Not like the Togepi, from that time." You had to admit, they were outrageously cute. Togetic needed to get moving, if the Digidestined needed to get to Kiri Kiri Mountains.

("Calm down, everyone,") it voiced. ("These people need to get moving.") Listening, all the Togepi backed away from the band. Davis wanted to get going, so bad, it was like he was going to do the "potty dance." Okay, not that dance, but he was getting antsy.

"So, Ash, where's that gate to get to your world?" he grumbled. Ash knew they needed to move out. It was Kari, that they were after.

"It's this way," he replied as he ran in a fixed direction. Everyone followed, until they reached another part of opened land. Where was this gate? Here? Davis didn't think so.

"This is more open field. This is not the gateway to your world!" Davis, calm down. Give Ash, a chance to explain...or see if Davis was gullible for what Ash was going to do.

"Try running ahead." Davis was going to obey. If Davis wasn't as screwed in the head, already, this would be no nut-and-bolt job. So was Davis going to race ahead? Not this time. Instead, he grabbed a rubber ball from his pocket. As he observed the spot, Sora had a bad feeling about what was going to happen. Wonder what that could be?

"Something tells me, that the ricochet has a homing device," she muttered. A homing device? Davis heard the redhead, hoping that she'd stay quiet.

"Sora, don't jinx me," he warned. A little late, perhaps? Davis threw the rubber ball. Then, it hit...something, invisible, and came right back at Davis. Davis ducked the ricochet, as the rubber ball flew passed everyone...and nailed an innocent Togepi, square, between the eyes. Oops. The Togepi began to cry, from the pain and panic of the small rubber ball. Oh, poor little thing. Yolei ran over to the hurt Togepi, wanting to comfort it.

"Are you okay, Togepi?" she wondered. "Don't worry, I'm here." She began to cradle the tiny Pokémon, thus, Togepi was starting to calm. That made Yolei glad that it was okay. "Thank goodness." She was good with the egg creature. Davis, on the other hand...remember what Sora said? "What's your problem, Davis?! They're still babies!" Sora thought the ricochet would be from the rubber ball...oh, wait, Yolei, now, had it. With all her might, she cannoned the rubber ball, striking Davis...in a painful body part. Bullseye! Oh, man, that...had...to hurt. Davis crumpled to the ground, into a fetal position. No man should be hit...there. Ash was wondering, if that was what Sora meant.

"Was that, what you meat by the ricochet?" he questioned.

"Not really," Sora shrugged. Ash turned to that area, ready to crossover.

"Okay, Togetic, we're ready." Not Davis. Togetic wiggled its arms, before they began to glow, again. It, then, fired a beam, hitting the wall, in which the beam became an orb. Davis got up in time, and entered the portal. Then, the portal was gone. In an oversight, somewhere, the same portal appeared. It was by an arch, overlooking a town. The town was surrounded by mountains, like the town was in a large crater. Back to the portal. Ash and the Digidestined emerged from the portal. Yolei was still holding the Togepi, hurt by Davis's wild throw. Ken was wondering why she still had the egg Pokémon.

"Why are you still holding Togepi?" he asked. Yolei was defensive about caring for Togepi.

"I don't like to see it, injured," she replayed. Well, that's quite motherly. Tai and Davis walked over to the edge, seeing the town. It was quite eye candy.

"So, this is the Mirage Kingdom," Tai hummed. Davis had a question about the title of the town.

"If this is a mirage kingdom, how can we see it, like it's normal?" he wondered. Well, before Tai decided to throw a punch at the dim-lit second-gen leader, Ash decided to answer Davis's curiousity.

"Actually, the place is surrounded, not only by the circling mountains, but also, by walls of continuous sandstorms," he replied. So, doubled security covered the town. Tai began to believe that Ash understood why Davis popped that question...and why the Mirage Kingdom got its name.

"So, that's why this place was called the Mirage Kingdom," Agumon realized. Ash bobbed his head, confirming that allegation. Unbeknown to the group, a shady man had appeared.

"Well, well, if it isn't the thorn of Team Rocket's schemes," he bellowed. Hearing the man, Ash and Pikachu turned to see a gray haired, and mushtached man in a black royal guard uniform. "And mine, too." Ash grit at the sight of the man.

"Hanson," he growled. Wait, the last, we heard from him, he was incarcerated for treason, against the king. So, how did he get out?

"That's Col. Hanson, smart-mouth. No thanks to you, I had my loyalty stripped." Then, he can't really be a colonel. So, why did he say, that he was?

"Now, you can't be a colonel, if you've lost your title," T.K. pointed out. Hanson still insisted that he was still part general.

"Silence! Soon enough, you'll understand the real frustration of being a lowlife. Go, Ninjask!" Hanson tossed two Pokéballs, releasing the creatures, inside. The creatures were like yellow cockroaches, looking a little mechanized. So those were Ninjask. Ash was ready, but held only one Pokéball. Looked like Ash was going to stick with Pikachu.

"Go, Golbat!" he called out. Golbat emerged from his Pokéball. "Pikachu, you, too." Pikachu heard and stepped forward, ready to battle. Hanson made the first move.

"Ninjask, Hyper Beam!" The Ninjask fired yellow beams from their mouths. The beams were heading toward Golbat.

"Dodge, Golbat!" Golbat folded it's wings, causing it to fall, and the beam to fly above it. A textbook dodge, that wasn't, but it was still impressive. "Now, Wing Cutter!" It fired small blades from its wings. Hanson had a backup for it.

"Double Team!" The Ninjask multiplied as the Wing Cutter attack bared down on them. The cutters hit, but those struck, faded...except for one, which got clipped on the side. Well, that's one. Where's the other?

"Nice one!" There was another Ninjask out there. If it was out there, Pikachu could pluck it out of the sky. All he needed, was the command. "Pikachu, concentrate. When you see the real Ninjask, use Thunderbolt." Pikachu closed his eyes, trying to focus on the flapping wings of the opponent. Concentrate...concentrate...10:00, approximately eight feet high, approaching fast. That one. Pikachu fired a massive amount of electricity, striking the enemy Ninjask. Falling in a heap, the Ninjask was out cold. Golbat and Pikachu were victorious, as Yolei, Hawkmon, and the Togepi cheered Ash in the win.

"Awesome job, guys," she gleed. T.K. and Ken saw what Ash was able to do, thinking that this was what Ash's Pokémon do, in this world: battle.

"So, that's what makes Ash, quite a combatant," T.K. noted. "I may not know, approximately, how many Pokémon he has, but the fact that he's a strong trainer, it, sorta, pales to know about some of his rivals." Well, maybe.

"You'd wonder, if Davis would take notes about Ash's actions," Ken joked. However, Davis was writing in a pocket book. Davis had taken the joke, seriously. (Remember the Episode, "The Ultimate Test?" Team Rocket was taking notes on Ash's handling of a Weezing.) Sora reached over, and snagged the book from Davis. Davis glared, upset at Sora's snatch. She appeared to have a reason.

"Don't you and Ken have to get Imperialdramon, ready?" she suggested. Davis was the one to get going, but Hanson wasn't done. He grabbed another Pokéball, and tossed it.

"Go, Shedinja!" he summoned. Out of that ball, was a cocoon-like biege bug, with a moon hovering above it's head. Ash grit at the sight of Shedinja. He had problems with this Pokémon in the past. "I have to say, you've gotten better, you parasite." Parasite? Hello, Hanson, you're the parasite to Mirage Kingdom. Offended at this verbal insult, Tai and Agumon stepped forward. It had to stop. Hanson wasn't impressed at the sight of the Digimon, but he was annoyed. "You'd better move, if you know, what's good for." Not only were the two refusing to move...

"Look who's talking," Tai barked. "It's one thing to lie about your lost position, but when you try to bully my future brother-in-law..." What?! Tai, declaring Ash, his future brother-in-law? Talk about total trust, to someone holding powers of a demon. Well, things couldn't get any worse...for the good guys, that is, right? It's about to get better. Tai pulled out his Digivice. "It's like fire. Play with it, and you get burned." On cue, Agumon was glowing, and morphing. Digivolution time.

"Agumon digivolve to...Greymon!" was the battlecry. In an instant, Agumon grew four times, it's original size. Not to mention, that it was fitted with a brown hollow helmet. Greymon looked kickin'. Let's see Shedinja stand up to this. Either Hanson had nerves of titanium steel, or he was just stupid. Whatever the reaction, or lack of, Hanson didn't seem intimidated by Greymon's appearance.

"Big deal," he bellowed. "So, you've made your Pokémon, grow. It's not gonna be enough." Okay, virtually every Pokémon trainer has no clue about Digimon, so, we'll let it slide...unless you were Greymon.

"Hate to disappoint you, but I'm not a Pokémon," he growled. Now, Hanson was surprised. Was he, still, willing to fight... "I'm, what my friends call me, a Digimon." Swallowing his pride, which had to taste bitter, Hanson was ready to go.

"Pokémon, Digimon, whatever. Shedinja, use Solar Beam!" Shedinja was storing energy from the sun, into the moon piece. Greymon had to act fast.

"Catch this! Nova Blast!" Greymon spat out a ball of raging fire. In time, because Shedinja fired the Solar Beam. Both the Nova Blast and Solar Beam collided in the middle, and erupted in a big explosion, with smoke, covering the air. Both creatures were okay, for the moment. Hanson wasn't impressed, still.

"Another Solar Beam!" Shedinja was storing energy again. However, the charge was a bit slower. Greymon got a good look at it. He decided to strike.

"Nova Blast!" Greymon fired another Nova Blast, but Shedinja was still gathering energy. That's when it was nailed, fully. The Nova Blast carried Shedinja to Hanson, plowing them both to the ground. Oh, that'll leave a mark. The moon on Shedinja's head faded as the bug's eyes swirled. Shedinja was beaten. In that moment, Ash became an offical.

"Shedinja is unable to battle," he announced. "Greymon wins, and the match goes to Tai." Tai's celebration: a determined nod. Hanson got up. He might have been better, staying put. Royal guards, in helmets and uniforms, surrounded Hanson...and Ash and the Digidestined, holding spears to their heads. Then...

"Hanson!" shouted a large brunette man with an impressive goatee. He was also dessed in a royal gown, with a red cape. Hanson, now, was sweating bullets. He knew who it was.

"Y-your majesty!" he shrieked. It was the king of the Mirage Kingdom. The king arrived to see the former colonel, already under control by the soldiers. Hanson was still trying to be defiant. "I was trying to control these kids and their creatures, from trying to demolish the kingdom." The king never bothered to look at Ash and the Digidestined. He was more focused on Hanson...with anger in his eyes.

"A likely story, coming from an escapee of the dungeon." Waiving his arm to the soldiers, he signaled them, over with the kids, to lower the spears. Those soldiers complied, and risen the pointy heads of their spears. The Digidestined breathed sighs of relief. Suddenly, Ash and Pikachu knelt to one knee. What's this, all of a sudden? The king turned to the kids, and saw the kneeling trainer. Then, he smiled. "You don't need to be formal, Ash. I had a feeling that you'd be the one, who'd stop the traitorous colonel." Ash got up, being greeted by the king. He nodded. Tai was wondering what happened to Shedinja's Solar Beam, which didn't blast out, on the second attempt?

"Ash, what happened to that second Solar Beam?" he addressed. "The first Solar Beam came out pretty fast, but the second must have misfired." It couldn't have misfired. Ash saw the Pokémon/Digimon fight, and studied what had occurred.

"Well, Solar Beam is a powerful grass-type attack, which the attack stores energy from sunlight," he noted. "As it appears, there's a clear day, so Solar Beam could be fired on immediate order. However, when Shedinja's Solar Beam, and Greymon's Nova Blast collided, the explosion kicked up ash and smoke, and a breeze pushed the smoke over Shedinja. In turn the smoke was like a cloud cover, thus, the Solar Beam took longer than before, and Greymon made the best of the opportunity." So, because of the aftermath of the clashed attacks, and a little outside intervention, Hanson's Shedinja's second Solar Beam was delayed. The king had walked over to Ash, wondering how he got there.

"I thank you, for stopping Hanson, from escaping," he greeted. "But, how, on earth, did you and your...interesting friends, arrive here? I saw no aircraft, in the air." Guess the king was rather observant. Ash was willing to tell, how they arrived from America.

"That, you can thank Misty's Togetic, for getting us, here." The king felt intrigued. Misty's Togetic was friendly to Ash and his friends, but transporting-wise?

"Misty's Togetic, you say?"

"It's true," Greymon backed Ash. "Though, we believe, it found us, by accident." Suddenly, Greymon started to glow, again, but shrunk back down to Agumon. Agumon shook off the sudden change, hoping to stay on the king's good side. "Sorry if we scared you, and for, possibly, tainting this world-" The king held a palm out. Agumon believed that he was no longer trusted.

"I don't really know, who you are, but the fact that you helped stop Hanson, is proof that you can be trusted, here." Agumon huffed a glee, relieved that his highness had accepted the Digimon, as allies. That's when a young redhead woman, in a blue body royal dress, arrived at the scene. Her hair was barbered like twirled pigtails. She ran over to Ash. She might have heard the young trainer. On a side note, she was carrying a Togepi.

"Ash, are you okay?" she gasped. Ash turned to the royally dressed girl, as well as Davis.

"Princess Sarah?" he recognized. Sarah did a quick check on Ash, seeing that he was in good health. Even Ash was willing to say that he was fine. "Don't worry, I'm a tough guy." As Sarah nodded, Davis made an approach, and grabbed the princess's hand. Whoa, that was fast!

"Oh, princess," he tried to charm. "Maybe, there's a way that possible love, can find its way through the miraging storms." Well, there was a familiar scene. Davis seemed to be hitting on Sarah. Ash wanted to cringe at the carelessness of Davis's actions, choosing on Sarah, over Kari. Well, someone decided to play the puller, and relieve Ash of frustration. Pulling on the goggle strap, Yolei yanked Davis from Sarah.

"Something tells me, your mind got lost in the sun," she growled. Okay, that looked _really_ familiar. Yolei pulled Davis, away from the scene, with unbelievable strength, despite the fact that she was holding a Togepi. Even Ash was a tad befuddled from that.

"Usually, Brock would be the one, doing something like that," he groaned. "I can't believe, it's rubbed off on someone, like _him_." Oh, yeah. Misty mentioned Brock's antics to T.K., those 18-some months ago.

"I thought, something like that, would rub off on _you_," Patamon sighed. "How many women, has Brock tried to hit on?" He wanted a count on the women, Ash's friend had tried to make out on? All those times, Misty or Max yanked him away, and Ash had to clean up after them.

"I've, actually, lost count. Somewhere around 150-200...I don't know." Yikes! Brock's got to stop. That's when Sarah saw the Togepi, in Yolei's arms. She was worried that the Togepi was from the Paradise.

"Did you get that Togepi from the Paradise?" she questioned. The Togepi, Yolei had, cheered on happily, triggering Yolei into a bit of panic. She was afraid to have Sarah think, that she kidnapped the egg creature. Yolei wanted to ease Sarah's suspicions.

"It was hurt by _him_," she grunted, regarding Davis. "I wanted to make sure it was okay, and it wanted to be with me." Sarah awed, thinking that the Digidestined was rather motherly over the Pokémon. Immediately, she got back to Ash. She was wondering why he was here, and with a large variety of friends, some, non-human.

"Ash, is it all right, if I ask, why you've returned to Mirage Kingdom?" Ash couldn't lie to a princess. His face, became one of sheer desire to go.

"We need to get over to the Kiri Kiri Mountains," he told. "There's something, over there, I need to use." Sarah saw the face on Ash, knowing that he was troubled with a serious case, he and his friends, needed to deal with. She became willing to act more than a princess.

"Let me come along!" Oh, boy. Since, when do princesses decide to step out of their kingdom, to do community service? First off, she's no knowledge about the situation, which means no idea of Digimon, nor who Kari was, not even their friends. This was quite a conundrum. Even her father, the king, didn't appreciate the plan.

"Sarah, what do you think you're doing?" he roared. Despite the lack of above knowledge, she, still, was urged to travel with Ash.

"Father, I know that I'm stepping out of the kingdom, but I've been wondering what it's like, outside of here." Her words were so moving, her Togepi was willing to back her up. That's when something triggered in Ken's head. His mind had drifted back to the nightmare, Ash had for some weeks. Yes, that nightmare still lingered around him. There were three unidentified people.

'There were two girls, and one man, minus Ash, and the rest of us,' he pondered in his brain. 'If, what we saw, was true, in that video, Sarah is one of them.' That's when he turned to the king's daughter...with a question that could explain everything. "Sarah..." Hearing her name, Sarah turned to Ken. "Could you remove your hat, please?" She was puzzled, at the former Digimon Emperor's request. He knew, what to say, next. "I have a feeling, that you're a link to a dark vision, and it may require your appearance." Sarah had a gut feeling that joining Ash was something, she needed to look forward to. This would be the clincher. She removed the mushroom-like hat. Ken did a quick observation, and nodded. "Good enough." Ash was wondering what that was all about.

"Ken, what were you checking?" he asked.

"Your nightmare had three people, unidentified. Princess Sarah is one of them, leaving two more. Whether or not, these other two are in this world, they may have some importance to what your dream provides. My safe bet, is that we take the princess, with us, head over to these Kiri Kiri Mountains, use that device, and return to Manhattan, to find our girl." Sounded sure-fire. Ash nodded to the plan, but the king...

"Absurd!" he roared. He didn't like the idea. Davis was there to back his partner up.

"Please, listen, your highness," he pleaded. "Sarah's one of the keys, that will help find a missing girl." Yeah, that's convincing. The king wasn't satisfied.

"Preposterous!"

"Preposterous, as it may seem," Ken countered. "The truth is, is that destiny has seem to tell her, where to go." The king was still in outrage. He, still, couldn't bear seeing his child, going with strangers. Ash, maybe, but not the rest. That's when Davis thought of the only thing that may quench the king's heated anger. Get ready for the wildest answer.

"Think about it, this way," he prepared. "Your daughter could find a suitable match to rule the kingdom, if she comes with us." Gulp. A...possible...husband? Davis had pondered about a match for Sarah, leaving everyone, even the king, in stunned disbelief. Ash thought Davis was screwed.

'And Davis is not gonna survive the king's wrath,' he believed in his head. In a surprise twist, with some orange and lemon, the king gave a thought on the marriage subject.

"An intriguing provocation," he swooned. "All right. I'll allow her to accompany you. Maybe, a little outside searching, couldn't hurt to find a husband." The words worked. Ash was in disarray. Davis managed to get the king to comply to having Sarah, join them.

"I can't believe, how lucky, you've become," he sneered. Davis smiled, thinking the same thing.

"It beats an angry king's wrath, any day," he chuckled. Well, when you look at it, that way, yeah, it does. Ash shrugged, giving up on convincing that bold move would have been costly. Because of the king's acceptance, Sarah needed to get prepared for the trip.

"I'll need to change into some street clothes," she suggested. Ash nodded, before turning to Yolei and Sora. Maybe, a little female talk about Digimon, could give her quite a bit of knowledge.

"Okay, Yolei and Sora," he started. "Why don't you keep the princess, company, and inform her of the situation." Davis heard Ash's command, deciding to say his words.

"Well, get Imperialdramon ready," he added. Yolei, Sora and Sarah agreed with nods, before they rolled into the castle, which had tops of towers, shaped like eggs. Good thing there's no yolk in them. Yeah, bad joke, so what? An hour passed. The girls returned, with Sarah, wearing a tight long sleeve t-shirt, and a blue beret, plus, slim jeans, and white tennis shoes, not to mention the pigtails, became a long ponytail. Ash and T.K. were ready to greet the girls, in front of a large freaky dragon-like creature. The head appeared to be wearing a white devil mask, in addition to the black scaly legs, large blue/orange dragon wings, with a dome-like design. On that design, was a cannon turret. Sarah was horrified by the giant creature. Yolei and Sora...not so much.

"Imperialdramon, ready?" Sora asked. That dragon creature was Imperialdramon? Vicious-looking, ain't it?

"It's ready to go," T.K. nodded. It's hard to believe that Veemon and Wormmon made such a large creature. Luckily, T.K. had his notes, ready. "Imperialdramon is the Mega-Digivolved form of Pieldramon, which it's from the DNA Digivolved form of ExVeemon and Stingmon." So, Imperialdramon had a few steps to overcome. Well, it's here. Even the king was impressed by the size of the new Digimon.

"I must say, this living vehicle is impressive," he hummed. "How fast, do you fly?" If anyone knew the speed of this creature, it was Imperialdramon, itself.

"From Point A, to Point B, faster than, well, give me time to figure it out," it muttered. Well, faster than its thoughts, anyway. Funny. As the group approached Imperialdramon, the king put his hands on Sarah's shoulders, with some parting words.

"Sarah, please, be vigilant and safe, alright?" The king was worried. Sarah knew it, and promised.

"I will, father," she murmured. She joined the rest, as Imperialdramon beamed everyone inside the dome. Then, it flew up, ready to go.

"All right, Imperialdramon," Ash cheered. "Let's go. Kiri Kiri Mountains, due northwest."

"Roger!" On that cue, Imperialdramon started to flap it's wings. The more it flapped, the higher it got. Finally, it appeared to be higher than the mountains, surrounding the kingdom. Then, thrusters, near it's tail, kicked on. Fuel-injecting flames spewed out. Suddenly, the giant transporting Digimon was gone, with many of the kingdom's people, watching on. The king was beyond himself. Seeing his beloved daughter, going on a journey, was a bit much to bear.

"Sarah, be careful," he whispered to himself, praying for Sarah to come home. The Kiri Kiri Mountains was the next destination. Ash had a little more company, tag along: a wild paradise Togepi, in which Yolei was carrying, and Sarah, princess of the Mirage Kingdom. What would the future bring, for those, still hoping that Kari would be found...alive.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	13. Times of Gain, Times of Loss

* * *

_Chapter 13:Times of Gain, Times of Loss_

* * *

_New York_

Joshua and an older, brunette female stood over a tombstone, in a nearby cemetery, as well as a spaced section of grass. The marble tombstone had chiseled words on it. It read:

JACOB Y. GREENE; BORN MARCH 30, 1968; DIED AUGUST 8, 2002; FOREVER LIVING IN HEAVEN

Tears trickled down both faces, looking over the grave. Did Joshua knew the late Mr. Greene? "Hello, Dad," he muttered to the grave. "It's me and Mom." So, this was Joshua's father's grave, and the woman was his mother, a widow, no thanks to a drunken lunatic with a firearm. As they prayed over his grave, a young redhead teen, with her hair in a ponytail, approached the two grievers. Seeing the tombstone, she figured out what the situation was. Did she decide to join them in prayer, in a moment of soon foreshadowing?

"Three years, huh?" she moaned. "A sorrowing anniversary." Joshua heard the girl, disrupting his and his mother's prayers, and scowled at the teen. It didn't seem like he wasn't in the mood to talk, or even see her.

"Jen, what are you, doing here?" he growled. Uh oh! Serious beef grilling! "Can't you see, we're in mourning?" Jen didn't seem to care. It wasn't like Jacob was Jen's father. Biologically, it wasn't Joshua's, either, in account to the widow, as Jacob's mother.

"Just came to see, how my 'ex' was doing." Ex, as in ex-boyfriend? So, there was a history, between these two, that ended on a sour tune. Joshua didn't appreciate the tone, she adjusted.

"Talk about timing. Coming to visit, on the anniversary of Dad's murder." Of course. Joshua told Ash, who did look like a mirror image of Joshua, and Kimberly, about how his father was killed by a drunk gunman. Jen decided to "rub salt on the wound."

"You've lost your real parents, then your pops, as well as your confidence. You weren't good enough for me, to consider a relationship. In fact, you're no good, for any women." Joshua's mother was appalled by the harsh insults, Jen mustered on the two. Suddenly, Joshua's grit turned to grin. Looked like he had a trump card, in mind.

"I find it, rather stupid, but funny, at the same time." Come again? "You visit my Dad's final resting place, and poke fun at why our botched relationship occurred, when I had started another." He wouldn't be gloating about another botched relationship, would he? Nope, one that might work out. "I've actually got a girl, and she's very understandable." Joshua's mother smiled at the comeback, her foster son provided.

"Son of a..." Jen, let's keep it clean, all right?

"By the way, why did you choose my enemy, as your boyfriend?" Jen bit her lip. Fidgeting, she fumbled to clarify a reason, for dumping him, and choosing someone, Joshua hated. She gave up. There was no way, he would understand why, according to her thoughts.

"You win, this round, Joshy-boy." With that, she stomped off, but didn't leave the cemetery, without a swift kick, to a random tombstone. She felt pain, shoot from the foot, but left on a noticeable limp. Feeling satisfied, Joshua smiled. Stand tall, young man.

'That's for you, Trina.' Ah, the suicidal girl, who Ash saved. Wonder how _he_ was doing?

* * *

_Kiri Kiri Mountains, Hoenn Region_

There was a seriously thick fog, that rolled through a dense wooded area, amongst the mountain side. The fog was so thick, visibility was practically nil. Geez, what happened, the mountain tops, 'trip' the clouds to the ground? Imperialdramon started to fly above the area, beliving that the destination was still ahead. Inside were the traveling Digidestined and Digimon, with Ash and Pikachu. They recently picked up Sarah, the heir to the Mirage Kingdom, and a couple of Togepis: Sarah's and Yolei's. Davis saw the wooded area, surprised at the thick fog, rolling over the trees. "Geez, how can someone see in that 'bowl of soup'?" he questioned. "I doubt, in that mess, you could see your hand, in front of your face." That's a good point. Saying, entering that place, blind, was a slim way to address the situation. Ash couldn't agree more.

"That's the Kiri Kiri Mountains, for you," he noted. So, they had arrived. Everyone shot a surprise stare. They were wondering, when he would notify them that they made it to the mountains.

"Exactly, when were you going to signal that we reached our destination?" Yolei asked.

"I was about to say something, when Davis sounded off, first." Oops. Davis should have kept his beak, shut. Finding a clearing, Imperialdramon landed safely in the open spot. A beam shot out and transported the group to the ground. The thickness of the fog was apparent. They had no time to ponder about the fog, except, go in. However, Davis and Ken needed to make sure, parking was first priority.

"We're gonna need that ride, back to the Mirage Kingdom," Ken ordered.

"Don't worry about me...er, us," it replied. "Just get going. Find out where Kari is." Ken nodded, before joining the rest. The journey into the woods, began. Tight as they were, the group didn't want to get separated. Otherwise, the fog monster would capture them...Just kidding. As they journeyed on, something had emerged from the fog, spinning like a top...at slow speed. It was a tan doll-like creature, with a wooden-like face, and some red markings, above its seemingly closed eyes. It's feet looked more like the needle of a top. Same could be said, about the crown of the head. Ash smiled, since, it appeared to be someone's doll creature.

"Baltoy!" he identified. That's a rather fitting name. Baltoy stopped spinning, as well as moving, and peered up, as Pikachu hopped down, to get a better lok at the Baltoy. Sarah and Sora saw Baltoy as well, curious about what this thing was. That's when Ken remembered the science fiction item's name: Baltoy's time machine.

"I get it, now," he volumed. What did he figure out? Everyone turned to Ken, wondering what he pondered. "That Baltoy is the main source of the time machine, isn't it?" Ash nodded, saying that it was true. So, Baltoy was the power source to the time machine.

"When you see the machine, you'll get to understand how it works." Wouldn't we all.

"I don't know," T.K. mumbled. "This whole time machine prospect seems too surreal to be factual. Besides, even if you claim, it works, can you be sure, that it's safe?" Wait...when did safety, become an issue? Sarah believed that T.K. was losing trust in his good friend. It's quite an unrelenting task for Ash, but T.K. became a little skeptical on the situation.

"Ash is trying to subdue a problem, you, all, are dealing with," she huffed. "Misty told me, that Ash has the tendency of accomplishing problems, in times of need, so, the best thing, we need to do, is to stay the course." Whoa! Princess of the government, all of a sudden? She made a strong point, and Tai began to understand...why his baby sister was rather infatuated with the heroic trainer. Yeah, that too.

"So, he shouldn't be nicknamed, 'Underdog,'" Davis offered. "More like 'Mr. Clutch,' since you brought it up, like that." Let's see..."Mr. Clutch" Ketchum. Never mind. The Togepis laughed, believing that it was funny.

"In any case, we should get going," Tai suggested.

"Right," everyone echoed in unison. Ash turned to Baltoy, hoping it would assist them.

"Baltoy, lead the way," he offered. Baltoy sounded, before spinning forward. Soon enough, everyone arrived to a hole, in a tree. By the way, that hole, was one, you might drive a truck through...might. Sora was dumbfounded by the size of the hole.

"What kind of creatures, live here?" she stuttered. "Trolls?" Well, it's possible.

"Actually, a civilization." A civilization? Please, Ash. Clarify. "Beneath this tree, was the Baltoy civilization, where history, depicted in drawings, told about the people of the civilization, being technologically super-advanced. It's the probability, on how they were able to master time travel." Ah, so the Baltoy civilization was highly intelligent. It was more to the tale of Izzy's likings.

"I, now, wish, that Izzy was with us," Yolei groveled. She'd bet that the Digidestined of Intelligence would enjoy this area.

"Well, we can photograph, what's in there, and give it to Izzy, to look at," Biyomon motioned. Wait, did someone bring a camera, along? Tai pulled a...yep, someone did. Tai had a camera, along. He turned to Ash, ready to go.

"Well, let's go," he voiced. Ash nodded, before running to the hole, and dropping in. Gasp! Ash? Ash? The rest ran to the hole, but Ash was gone. What happened? Everyone was worried about what happened to the trainer. Ken reached over, and felt...nothing.

"Ash wouldn't recklessly dive down something, if he knew what was down there," he groaned, before going down to...head first. Dude, _that's_ reckless. Realizing that the journey would go down, literally, they entered the hole, and fell. Meanwhile, there was a young redhead girl, observing drawings on a wall. She wore a blue overall dress, with green bracelets, and her hair had pigtails, unlike what Sarah looked like, before she changed from her royal gown. By her, was a green bird, that looked like it was shaped like a ball. That's when, she was hearing screams, and turned to an opening, on the other side of the large room. Under the opening, was a patch of foam, probably to cushion people, falling into the hole, above. Suddenly, Ash entered, and landed on the foam. Realizing that the rest were going to arrive, he got off. Just then, Ken and Baltoy entered, and hit the foam. It had taken him, a second, to recover. A second, he didn't have. Soon enough, here came the rest. Ash reacted, and pulled the ex-emperor, away, as the rest, landed on the foam...not Sarah. However, you could consider her _real_ lucky. She landed in Tai's arms. Oh, that was so gentlemanly. Ken got up, thankful to have been removed from the jaws of death by the raven-haired trainer. The other redhead came up, and hugged Baltoy. Must have been hers.

"Baltoy, don't run off, like that, again," she warned. Yep, it was hers. Then, she looked at Ash, baffled about why he was here. "What happened to that desire to be a Pokémon Master?" Ash thought that there was a promise, broken by that arrival.

"Something came up, Calista," he murmured. Calista? That's an unusual name. Not that this author wanted to argue. Everyone got out of the pile on the foam and observed the area. Calista was wondering who these people were.

"Ash, what's going on with these people?" Everyone was awing the place, from the drawings, to the size of the area. Ash needed to explain the situation, the best he could.

"Someone has apparently left the face of Earth, and we need to borrow the time machine to see where she vanished from." The face, Ash displayed, told Calista, that time was, of the essence. Sorry. Somehow, as Calista turned to a giant stone plate, with marking, related to strange crop circles, she pondered something. That's when Ash saw the green bird, and no, it wasn't Hawkmon, suffering ill-effects from the fall. "That your Natu?" Calista nodded. So, that's a Natu.

"I've actually managed to study on 'Spirit Travel,' where someone, under hypnosis, would send their spirits into the past or future, depending where they wished to go." Spirit Travel? That's one for the record books. So, a spirit of a hypnotized person would go forward or back in time, with the time machine active. "In a sense, that way, the user doesn't interfere with the time line, already set." Darn, and we could've used it to prevent 9/11 from happening. Why, cruel fate, why? "I've yet to try it, on myself, and see who I'd marry in the future, but your situation sounds more serious. However, there's a complication, into finding her." A complication?

"How so?"

"To find a certain someone, another must be a relative of blood." A blood relative? Hello, Earth to Tai. Tai heard Calista, and walked over to the two.

"The missing girl is my sister," he addressed to the new girl. "I'm Tai, Ash's friend." When Calista heard "sister," she knew that this was a step closer to finding Kari.

"Alright, Tai. I want you to stand on the machine." She pointed over to the stone plate. What? That...can't be the time machine...is it? Even Tai wasn't sure on it.

"Your joking, right?" Ash shook his head. But...that? Tai stepped onto the plate, as well as Baltoy, as Natu plopped itself on his head. This ought to be interesting.

"The process should take little time. All you need to do, is concetrate on your sister." Tai nodded, as everyone gathered to see the festivities. "Okay, Natu...Hypnosis!" Natu began to glow an eerie red, as well as the Digidestined. Tai, then, closed his eyes. Nighty night. Phase two. "Baltoy, Rapid Spin, now!" Baltoy began to act like a top, laced with nitro fuel. Suddenly, the circle was glowing, leaving everyone, gasping for Tai's well being. Tai had gone back in time...at least, his red spirit did. In the time line, the spirit had opened his eyes, seeing all sorts of events, that had happened. Suddenly, there was a flash of light. When the flash dimmed, Tai was seeing a small brunette boy, with hair, very much, like his. The boy was sitting on a row of chairs, alone. Tai had a gut feeling on this boy.

"Is that...me?" he questioned himself. If that boy, _was _him, how far back, did he go in time? That's when a woman in a nurse outfit, approached the the supposed four-year-old. He looked up, concerned about something.

"Is Mommy, okay?" he asked.

"Mommy's doing just fine," reassured the nurse. "The baby's on it's way, little Taichi." Tai was stunned. He knew what time period, he was in.

"Of course," realized the spirit. "I've ended up to when Kari was born." When Kari came into existence? Tai, you were suppose to go, a few weeks back, not a few years, like almost 14. Suddenly, the scene changed, to when a group of doctors surrounded a bed.

"She's almost out, Mrs. Kamiya," one doctor told a young, but grown woman, wearing a hairnet. Her face of strain, told Tai, her son, that she was pushing hard, in labor. After a minute of pushing...there was panic. "She's not breathing! The baby's not breathing!" What the...Tai gritted his teeth. Her baby sister was dying, just as she was born. The baby was carried away. If it was Kari, then the whole health issue could be justified...to a point. That baby was Kari, and she would soon be out, but what a way to enter the world, and nearly exit in a matter of minutes. Outside, of the machine, everyone was praying for Tai, to be okay.

"Hurry, Tai," Sarah muttered. "Find Kari." Ash was willing to know about how this Spirit Travel thing operated.

"Despite the lack of personal experience, what do you know about Spirit Travel's actions?" he asked. Calista had her notes ready.

"Remember, when I told Tai to think about his sister?" she counter-questioned. "To observe different time periods, one must have a a close family member, or themselves, in mind. That's the only way, they work." So, if friends lurked in the user's mind, the Spirit Travel wouldn't work. Ash believed, that Tai could find Kari. Meanwhile, Tai's spirit was in another time zone. This time, it was a colorless beach. Wait, why here? That's when he saw creatures, covered in a thick dark aura, carrying Kari, more grown. This wasn't, by any chance, a replay of the first story, was it?

"What's going on here?" he wondered. Before he could understand the situation, out of the gray, Ash and Pikachu emerged. It was the time, those two were in RainBellian, when Ash rescued Kari from a grizzly fate. Turn to the original story to understand, what occurred. The scene changed once more. When Tai saw this, he understood what was going on...and where they needed to go. How? There was a green hand, holding a torch. That hand, looked like the hand from the Statue of Liberty. Was that where they had to go, to find Kari? Two minutes passed, when the circle stopped glowing, as well as everyone else. Tai fell to his knees. Baltoy and Natu...they fell flat. Everyone ran to the first leader's side. They were hoping that Tai found Kari. They wouldn't be disappointed.

"The torch," he gasped. "The torch!" He found her. However, torch came out. Why did he exhaust "torch?"

"What kind of torch?" Sora wondered. Tai didn't respond. Then, Yolei thought of the only torch, that might fit.

"Tai, is it the Statue of Liberty's torch?" she guessed. The torch, held by the Statue?

"Torch...that torch...held high." Yolei nodded. It was the Statue of Liberty's torch. That's when Tai had more. "Saw Ash, save Kari, time and time, again." Okay, he must have seen Ash's heroics in RainBellian. "Darkness, entrance." Darkness, entrance? What did that mean? "Light...Dark...children." How far did he go, back and forth? Sora shook Tai, snapping out of his baffling information. Tai saw what he needed to see, and now, the band knew where they needed to go...to save Kari.

"You saw everything, didn't you?" she figured. Tai nodded. He saw more than what he needed to do. So, now, they needed to get back to New York and get to the Statue of Liberty. Kari, they were on their way.

"Well, now, Imperialdramon's waiting outside," Davis carelessly bellowed. "Let's get back to the Mirage Kingdom, to get back to New York." When Calista heard the city name, New York, she became intrigued with wanting to know, what it would be like, to go there.

"Is it all right, if I came?" she requested. T.K. peered at the young archaeologist. Was she the other female, that resided in Ash's dream? He turned to the one, who did remember, probably by watching the nightmare, before departing.

"Ken, your call," he said. Ken recalled the nightmare. Was she?

"With her, all we need is the male," he muttered. So, Calista was one, like Sarah, who would be going to the torch. That left, what appeared to be, an adult male, who looked to be in his late 30s-early 40s. Now, the real question rung up. How were they going to get out from underneath the tree?

"Okay, anyone with an idea on exiting this place?" Sarah wondered. That's when Ash turned to another hole. He sighed. What's up with that.

"Probably, one of those times, Team Rocket did something good," he whispered. Team Rocket? Doing good? That's not a good thing to merge. How did he think of a way out? He walked over to the hole, and saw tank treads, imprinted on the dirt, hardened over time. Immediately, he turned to the rest. "Guys, over here!" The others saw the tunnel, and ran over to it. There was daylight.

"Good work, Ash," Sarah complimented. The kids and creatures crawl up the embanking slope, with ease, thanks to the tread marks. The good news: they, all, managed to exit the tree.

"Hey, it beats living with T.K., down there," Davis groaned. That's-...right, he did say his name right. The bad news: they were surrounded. Scores of black uniforms, all with red "R" each in the shirts. Ash, Sarah, and Calista knew they were in trouble.

"Team Rocket's come to visit," Calista shuttered. Team Rocket? Like those three, still on RainBellian? We should check up on them, shouldn't we? The Rockets were scattered around, waiting to make a move.

"Anyone who has a plan, speak now, because, I don't think fighting them is a good idea," Patamon pointed out the seemingly obvious. It was a standoff. Ash, Calista, Sarah, and the Digidestined, versus the horde of Team Rocket. Ash had dealt with Team Rocket, many times on end, from the first night of his Pokémon training career. However, he mostly dealt with Jessie, James, and Meowth. So, being surrounded by many Rockets, was a tough one. That's when a grown man, in an orange business suit, made his appearance. The brunette man, appearing to be in his 40's, approached Ash and his buddies. By him, was a large white cat, that had a ruby jewel, embedded on its forehead.

"So, I finally get to meet the brat, whose been hampering Team Rocket's operations," he grumbled. "Not to mention, teaching three specific flunkies, who claim to be members." It sounded like he was the boss of those Rockets. That's when he saw Sarah, not phased at her attempt to remain low-key. "And, may I ask, why the Mirage Kingdom's princess's outside of the safety of her own castle?" Sarah hiccuped. How did this man know that Sarah was a princess? Even Calista was awe-struck by the knowledge of Sarah, being heir to a throne.

"I didn't know, you were a princess," she coughed.

"Worry about that later," Sarah motioned. "As the princess of the Mirage Kingdom, I demand to know, what's your meaning to confront us?" Well, we still need to know, who he was.

"My name is Giovanni, president of the Team Rocket organization, and gym leader of Veridian City," he introduced. President? Gym leader? This guy's résumé must be quite extensive. Ash wasn't too comfortable with the overwhelming presence of the Rockets. Giovanni was undaunted by Ash's grit. "Settle, boy. I did not come here to fight...especially with your giant, magnificent creature, secured by my employees." No...they captured Imperialdramon? Davis's anger burst from out of nowhere. That was his, and Ken's creature, they had.

"You let Imperialdramon go, you brute!" he shouted. He tried to lunge at Giovanni, but Tai and T.K. held him. Ash, familiar with the Rockets, decided to speak, on behalf of everyone else.

"We need that creature, in order to get back to New York," he explained. Giovanni was interested, when New York was mentioned.

"New York, eh? What emergency, has you in such a rush?" Ash knew that this was someone who ran an organization, that wouldn't care for any creature. He decided to admit his love for Kari. Tai might have influenced him to say it.

"I'm trying to save someone, I love." If Davis's anger hadn't reach the boiling point before, it had to, now. He tried, harder and harder, to break free, and attack the two negotiators.

"Kari is suppose to be mine!" he roared. Giovanni and Ash, didn't seem disturbed by that outburst. It was like, they were expecting it. However, Mr. President was moved by Ash's confession. It was about love for a human. That, or New York was on his mind.

"Well, to be blunt, New York sounded like a fictional place," he murmured. "However, I want to see it, for myself. I'll withdraw my troops, and release your ride, if you agree to my demand of company allowance." Ash wasn't sure about allowing a member of Team Rocket join in the parade, let alone, the president. Ken got over to the two, with news.

"You know, we could've had you, join us, even, without your men, impounding our ride," he motioned. Giovanni mulled at the response. Guess, he was the last guy in the nightmare. Still, he nodded, accepting his fate. "It's too bad, we don't have a computer, with an Internet connection. We could use the gate to get to the DigiWorld, to get back to New York." Giovanni chuckled. Looked like, he had something in mind.

"I guess, you forgot that, as a president, I come prepared to do business, regardless of the situation." With a snap of fingers, a Rocket member brought up a laptop. Surprised, the kids were shocked silent. Looked like they didn't need to go, the long way around. Ken slapped its head, thinking that he lead Team Rocket, to know about the Digimon.

"I had to open my big trap." Yolei got to Ken's side, and patted him in the back. There wasn't time to panic, yet. The cat, on the other hand, pawed over to Pikachu, and started to sniff, it's tail. Cats to mice...not a good thing. Hearing the cat's nose, Pikachu turned to see the large feline, wondering if it liked rat tails. Giovanni saw it's cat, taking whiffs of Pikachu's butt.

"Persian, settle down." The cat obeyed, and walked back to his side. Seeing the Pikachu, the head honcho was wondering, if this was what the three bozos were after. Davis wanted to get back to New York, pronto. They got what they needed, so they didn't need to stay longer than they should.

"Okay, Tai, try to get the digital gate, open, and we'll get on board Imperialdramon," he ordered. Everyone agreed. Soon enough, the pack had got back to the giant ride. Calista was a touch fearful. Despite the overwhelming population, in the mountains, Imperialdramon had her, shaking out of her dress.

"What in the world, is that thing?" she had shaken. The giant turret dragon creature, saw the extra people, thinking that it was time to get going.

"So, did you find out, where she is?" it asked. Davis was the one to respond.

"Yeah," he replied. "The torch on the Statue of Liberty." The giant was satisfied, to know, Kari was reachable. With a nod, Imperialdramon beamed everyone on board...except for Tai. That's when he saw the digital gate open, on the laptop.

"Okay, we can go," he announced. As one of the Rockets held the laptop, facing the monster and the first-gen leader, Tai held his Digivice at the computer. "Here we go! DigiPort open!" With a flash of light, they were gone, leaving the many Rockets, befuddled at what had occurred. As the journey heads back to Earth, Ash, Calista, Sarah, Giovanni and the Digidestined were ready to go and reclaim the missing Digidestined of Light. However, waiting there, was an evil being...and a girl, in need of help. Who else was in trouble?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	14. Never the Light Options

_Chapter 14:Never the Light Options_

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Outside Mimi's house, Izzy and Mimi had set a laptop computer, pointing it to the open street, and opened the digital gate. They were waiting the return of their friends, who had gone on the trip to the Pokémon world, in search of the Baltoy Time Machine. Ash, Tai, Sora, Davis, Ken, Yolei, and T.K. had gone to Ash's home world, where they ran into Sarah, a princess of the Mirage Kingdom, and Calista, an early-aged archaeologist, studying on a certain civilization. However, they were, also, confronted by Giovanni, the president of an organization, called Team Rocket, who joined them, to see New York. T.K. had inform Izzy, that they were on their way back, after Tai had discovered where Kari, the missing Digidestined, had vanished to: the torch, held by the Statue of Liberty. Suddenly, the laptop flashed. A few seconds later, Imperialdramon, Yolei and the Togepi, she was caring for, emerged from the light. The beam shot out from Imperialdramon, which dropped off everyone. Mimi, Izzy, Cody, Todd, and Duplica ran over, seeing the guys back from the short trip. Sarah and Giovanni, were seeing what Earth was like. Giovanni was rather stunned, but not at the change of scenery.

"Well, I like to try, expanding my organization, to a few places," he smirked. That's when he turned to his Persian. "However, it might need a few more talking Pokémon, like you." Persian looked up, but only meowed a few times. Did Persian talk like a human, before? Tai came up, understanding what happened to the big cat.

"Guess any creature, who enters the digital world, has the ability to talk like a human, until they exit," he hypothesized. The digital world, where no creature is safe, from speaking like the rest. Giovanni began to ponder, about how to make all the Pokémon talk. He was rather fascinated with hearing Persian out.

"I think, I'll have a few scientists, work on a project, when I get back to HQ." _Really_ fascinated. Sarah and Yolei walked up to Duplica and Mimi, respectively, wanting to take care of the Togepis.

"Now, you behave for aunt Mimi, while I'm gone, okay?" Yolei ordered the Togepi, hurt by Davis's thoughtless antics. Aunt Mimi...Mimi and Yolei weren't sisters. Mimi was a touch upset, at being, unofficially, called an aunt. Still, that Togepi shrilled.

"Yolei, since when were we, sisters?" she huffed in frustration. Yolei hadn't been a liar to anyone, and she wasn't about to start.

"Well, Mimi, I think of you, as a sister. Isn't that, all right?" Now, Mimi was more awed, than upset. Yolei saw her higher-up as a big sister, and not just a friend.

"I...guess so." Duplica was surprised to see a Togepi, given to her. It was like, she remembered a Togepi, from before.

"This reminds me, of when I saw Misty, with her Togepi," she muttered. When was this? "The last, I saw her, was in the Johto region. Quite some time, ago. I can't believe that it evolved into a Togetic." Ah, so, it was before Ash and friends met the princess. Sarah believed her, and her reason was one to be expected.

"I saw Misty's Togepi evolve, so, I knew what to expect," she reviewed. She was a witness to the change. Cody got out, and joined the rest. He was in the dream, too, and didn't want to be left in the dust. He saw Ash, narrowed eyes, focused on the possible battle, ahead, unsure, if he was ready to pay a price, for saving a loved one.

"If you're ready, Ash, then we should get going," he told. Ash never made a move to the small child. However, it didn't mean he didn't hear him.

"You're right, Cody," he growled. "It's time." Ash walked over to Imperialdramon, ready to go and save Kari. He hopped on board, prompting the rest to board, as well. With final waives from the girls, Imperialdramon flew off. The next destination: The Statue of Liberty. The eyes showed anger, as whoever abducted Kari, was going to pay...big time. As they arrived, Imperialdramon beamed everyone down. That's when, it began to glow...and shrink, and split. Out of the light, Veemon and Wormmon emerged, exhausted from the strain of taking the giant form, for a long time. Grabbing their respective Digimon, Davis and Ken carried them, and joined the rest, up the stairs, to inside the crown, where Yolei had confessed her love for Ash. There was no love this time. There was war. However, how were they going to get to the torch? Ken's "key" to the dark realm was revoked, and no one else could have access to it.

"Okay, now what?" Davis wondered. No one had a clue. They knew where to go, but not how to open the gate to the other world. Ash began to think of something. That's when he uncovered his mark of the InfiniDemon. That mark, began to pulse. It had sensed something. As he got to the viewing of Liberty, the mark pulsed more, faster. Suddenly, a burst of light shot out, causing everyone to shield themselves. When they looked toward the flash, they saw a pinkish-colored vortex, and it was in front of the torch.

"There it is." That must be the vortex. The vortex to the dark world. Everyone gawked at the portal. To T.K., it became deja vu. However, there was a slight problem: the height of the vortex. How were they, going to enter the vortex, when it was so high? That's when Giovanni had an idea.

"Boy, don't you have some sort of rope, on you?" he asked. Rope? Ash, suddenly, dug into his bag, and pulled out a long, white rope. It was his rope for laundry. Ash realized, that someone needed to fly into the portal.

"Patamon, Biyomon, Hawkmon." The three winged creatures flapped forward. He wanted one more winged creature out, and got his Pokéball. "Golbat, I choose you!" When the Pokéball opened, Golbat emerged. Now, the four winged creatures were awaiting orders. Now, what was that thing, Misty called Ash's sudden, jaw-dropping actions, that left people gawking had how he did it? Classic Ash, of course. He gave the long rope to Biyomon and Golbat, ready for instructions. "Tie the rope to a tree, or something solid. Toggle the rope, when you've got the anchor." With a nod from all four, they flapped up into the vortex, as Ash held the other end of the rope. Patiently, they waited a signal from the wingers.

"Even though, we're going into the darkness, you're not suppose to be the one, we need to worry about," Wormmon mumbled to Ken. Ken didn't appreciate the darkness, since being freed by the other Digidestined, from there. Ken knew that the attention was on Ash, and Kari.

"As much as I want to say, it's a good thing," he sighed. "I, still, don't like the concept, of going to the darkness." Not many people would feel the same way. Some would accept the darkness, as home.

"Not many people would understand the concept of darkness," Calista pointed out. "Why? Did you try to?" Well, Calista had little knowledge of any of the Digidestined. Ken didn't want to give the little archaeologist, a problem.

"It's in the past. I don't wanna relive the experience." Seemed like a reasonable response. Before Calista could ask again, the rope began to wiggle. It seemed like the wingers found an anchor for the rope. Ash tugged on it, making sure that the anchor was good. Noticing it, Ash tied the other end of the rope to a spare hook, on a divider. Not sure how one got on there, but it was useful. Securing the rope, Ash and the rest were on their way, into the land of darkness. Calista and Giovanni called their Pokémon, back into their Pokéballs, before scaling the rope, crawling hand over hand, upward to the vortex. As soon as they entered, Cody and Armadillomon scaled the rope. While Cody scaled the rope, the same way, the first two performed, Armadillomon crawled like a trapeze artist. Guess, being a scaled Digimon, didn't deter him, away.

"I knew, I should have tried for the circus," the shell-back creature groaned. Well, if there was someone seeing you, maybe...When they entered the vortex, Yolei, Sora and T.K. climbed the long way, up, too. Tai, Davis and Ken, with their creatures holding onto their bodies, crawled up after that. All that was left, was Ash and Sarah. Sarah, now, was more worried about the trainer, than on her Togepi. Was this feelings, that were going to come out?

"Ash, I understand what you need to do," she murmured. "I just hope, for the sake of this Kari girl, that you're going to be, all right? The last thing, I need to see, is someone dying, under any purpose." A princess of caring, she was. Ash agreed, but had his own concerns, boiling up.

"To be honest, Princess," he coughed. "I believed, that I would be the last person, anyone would worry about, even before seeing America, for the first time." Come on, Ash. There have been plenty of people, who've accepted you, as you are. Even Sarah saw that.

"Well, right now, the one, you've been worried about, is beyond that vortex. When you're ready, let's go." With a nod, Ash, Pikachu, and Sarah climbed the rope, into the swirl of eerie light. As soon as the last of the children came into a wooded area of colorless scenery, which had a gray dirt path, they were ready to move out. That's when Pikachu sensed an unusual odor. In fact, the odor, was familiar. Female, on truth.

"That can't be right," he squeaked. Tai was wondering what Pikachu was smelling.

"What are you sensing, buddy," he asked. Pikachu finalized the scent. Even though, he recognized the smell, whatever it was, it seemed very out of place...and for good reason.

"Misty's here." Misty? How could she be here? Not pondering, on how she was in this dark world, everyone knew that she needed assistance.

"Let's go," Calista ordered, before running off. Everyone began to run down the dirt path. Ash was now, living in the nightmare, that had plagued him. He was running, with people at his side, down a straight path, in an unfamiliar world. His nightmare...come to life.

"Ash, are you sure, this is where she is?" Davis questioned. Kari was suppose to be here. Was she?

"This is where she said, she was," Tai answered, in regard to Yolei's help.

"Why, of all places, here?" Ken complained. Being the former ruler of the DigiWorld, it's very understandable, why he didn't like to be here. Now, unlike his dream, Ash was prepared to answer.

"This is a world of darkness, and darkness smothers the light, right?" he hypothesized. It's a counter-balance, with light and darkness.

"Yeah, and whoever snatched Kari, is taking full control of that balance," T.K. added. That's when they reached the cliff. Other than Ash, everyone else stopped at the edge. Ash tapped one last step, before making his leap...down a 25-foot cliff side. Yes, we're going to need EMS here, we may have an injured subject, base jumping off a tall cliff side. Just kidding. With a couple of flips, Ash landed on his feet. That's when he saw something in front of him. It was...horrifying. A transparent matter of dark aura blanketed a white fiend creature, that appeared to be an exo-skeletal piece of armor. The tail had to have come from an alien movie. There was a dark mark on it's chest, in the shape of a bat. The shoulder pads had fangs and eyes. The wings were outrageously mutated, like it appeared as a bat, mixed with a large parasite. The head was somewhat human, until you saw how huge, his jaw was, since the teeth were like a shark's. What the heck was he? T.K. didn't appreciate the sight of this disfigurement of a creature. "MaloMyotismon? Tell me, you're kidding." MaloMyotismon. He sounded like trouble.

"Was he, not, vaporized, during that New Years' Eve fight?" Davis replayed. If so, then, how was he alive? The dark creature, had Ash's nerves, coming undone. Then, he heard moaning. Turning to behind him, he saw Misty, grounded and hurt. Her hair wasn't in a ponytail, but she was dressed in bruises and cuts, and her clothes were torn, badly.

"Misty!" he called out, as he ran to her side. Ash toggled her arm, seeing if she could respond. She opened her eyes, spotting Ash.

"Ash, be careful," she winced. "MaloMyotismon is super powerful." That was good enough info. Still, how did she wind up in this world? Ash was more on MaloMyotismon, and not on Misty. He turned back to the ruthless Digimon...only to have Giovanni, walk up to him. How did he get down to the sandy ground, safely? MaloMyotismon wasn't impressed at this middle-aged man's approach.

"I have no quarrels with you," he bellowed. Giovanni appeared to have accepted MaloMyotismon's greeting. Little did the evil Digimon know, there was a proposal, for a plan.

"I've come here, on a business term," he addressed. "You see, there may be a way, for the worlds of ours, to be intertwine. In a sense, what it means, is that we can capture and terrorize the different creatures, and avoid boredom with the same beings." If only he knew. It was an intriguing argument. MaloMyotismon pondered the thought. He could be terrorizing the Pokémon world, while Giovanni studies up on the DigiWorld. Ash and Misty, as well as the Digidestined, didn't like where this plan was going.

"Why?" Ash whispered "Why, the fool, want to take, such a risk?" Putting tentacle-like fingers on his chin, MaloMyotismon pondered on the addressed proposition. Terrorizing Pokémon, capturing Digimon...Sounded like an inspiration to take. Little did anyone know, Ash's mark, was coating his arm, in a suit of black.

"You've some fascinating insight," MaloMyotismon voiced. "However, there's a matter of evidence, you need to support." What evidence would the virus Master desire? Giovanni sported a grin, believing that a deal might go down.

"I'm talking over 400 species, and many, many a population," he mouthed off. "A variety, wider than what, anyone could desire. You, look pretty shrewed, but I doubt, you will be disappointed. Take your time, on a decision." Take time...when a life is endanger? Ash and Misty watched on, concerned about Giovanni's offer. They hated the issue of the president of Team Rocket, trying to make amends with an ultra-powerful Digimon. They would be proven, in more ways, than one.

"You're giving me, ample amount of time, even though, there's a girl, who's dying." That clinched it. Kari was here. Ash seethed in anger, as his whole arm was enveloped in black. "For you see, I've made a decision." His decision...was going to be Giovanni's last answer to hear. A bolt of red lightning pierced through Giovanni's chest, and stuck in there. Whoa! Everyone gasped in serious horror. MaloMyotismon stabbed Giovanni, in an act of betrayal. Still alive, but critically wounded, Giovanni, blood pouring out of his mouth, was trying to figure, why he was deceived. "I want to terrorize, hunt and kill, anyone, who I see fit. Human, Pokémon, Digimon...you're all alike. You live one life. All you did, was throw it away, by visiting me." That's when the fiend tossed Giovanni, back to Ash, who ran over to see, if he could assist in help. Giovanni looked to Ash, who removed his shirt, trying to dress the injury, showing that he was ready to go.

"I was foolish. Foolish to believe, I could pact with someone like him." Yeah, foolish. Good point. Ash approved his confession.

"Yeah, that was pretty foolish," he softly spoke as the marking started to coat his chest. Still, Giovanni smiled, at Ash's urge to help. There was a sorrowing reason.

"At least, I can go to the grave, accomplishing one thing." Ash was wondering what that thing was. Accomplishing what? Did it have something to do, with seeing New York? "My pocket..." Pocket? Ash reached into the tuxedo pocket, and pulled a photo out. When he looked at the photo, he couldn't believe his eyes. There was a toddler with raven hair, like Ash, wearing overall jeans. There was a younger redhead woman, with her hair down, and not in a ponytail. Then, the clincher. There was Giovanni, less wrinkled. Could...could it be? Ash recognized the toddler. Guess who.

"It's me!" That tot was Ash? The photo appeared to be several years old. If that was him... "And Mom..." Something was up with the photo. There was Ash and his mother, with Giovanni. Then, Ash's mind drifted into the past...the past of being a little child, playing with his mother, like when he first learned to walk, eat solid food and spoke his first words. His first words. 'Mom told me, that my first words regarded my father...' There was one explanation for this, when he turned to Giovanni...and muttered it out. "Papa?" Giovanni's head slowly nodded. Giovanni was Ash's own father. A father who'd abandoned his family, almost 13 years ago. Ash remembered that his mother, or Giovanni's wife, told Ash that his dad had left to be a trainer. Giovanni was starting to take his last breaths.

"I'm sorry, that we had to end up, on these terms, son. I guess, after I realized that I had little esteem for adventure, I never returned home, and avoid shame to you." Shame...there have been so many people that suffer embarrassment, that seeing their family was a dodger. "I should have been a better father to you, instead of cowardly running away. I won't make it home, greet my family, taste Delia's cooking...and seeing you, become a great Pokémon trainer." Everyone watched on, as the father was about to sign farewell, on the blood soaked sand. "Ashton, I want you, to do two things." Ash grabbed Giovanni's hand, a futile attempt to tell him to hang on. "Tell Delia...tell your mother, that, even though, I won't see her again, I still love her, and never meant to abandon her. But before that, get your girl. She needs you, as much...(cough)...as you need her..." It became, his final words.

"I will, Papa." Satisfied, Giovanni's eyes closed. He stopped breathing. His heart stopped beating. His body became limp. He was still. "Papa? Papa!" He was gone. Giovanni Ketchum passed away. In a moment of sorrow, Ash cried on the dead body of his old man. It was somewhat reminiscent to how Joshua's father was killed, because their sons were witnesses to the killings. The Digidestined, Calista, and Sarah, as well as Misty, felt the pain, Ash was going through. However, MaloMyotismon wasn't grieving. Heck, he was snickering at the pointlessness of a fallen man.

"This shows, how fragile, humans are," he gloated. Ash turned to the callous Digimon, anger in his eyes, and mark, attacking his right arm. "All humans, have become, are nuisances. There's nothing about them, worthy of the existence, we, Digimon, live through." That was the line. MaloMyotismon crossed it. Ash's upper body was in all black, except for his head. That won't remain untouched for long. Without saying a word, to let the mark cover his head, Ash pointed his index at MaloMyotismon, before giving him, the reply of thumbs down. MaloMyotismon groveled a bit, unimpressed at Ash's signs. Suddenly, like a quick mutation, black devil wings shot out Ash's back. Armadillomon had a theory of what was going on.

"So, we're witnessing the transformation, Izzy told us about," he remembered. Ash was becoming a demon. Tai saw it, too. He knew what it was, considering what info, BlackWarGreymon mentioned.

"He's unlocked the full potential," Tai realized. "The darkness, is now his weapon, and the anguish of losing his dad...MaloMyotismon had no clue of what's to come." When Ash's face was consumed, his eyes changed from brown, to gold, with the addition of devil horns, emerging from his forehead. Ash was, now, ready, as a demon. MaloMyotismon wasn't thrilled, to say the least.

"All you did, was change your form," he grinned. Then, his shoulder pads opened up, like mouths, with black orbs, developing. They're no snot shots. "Now, join your father, in the great beyond." The orbs were shot out, and Ash needed to act. It wasn't much. Ash swatted the orbs, like they were flies. That deterred MaloMyotismon...just a bit. "Okay, maybe you got some skills with the darkness." Ash was only starting. That's when he fired red beams from his eyes. MaloMyotismon evaded the beams. So, they were even. "Not bad for a beginning attack. You need to do better." Ash was willing to please. He raced forward, so fast, he was from the side of the cliff, to the Digimon, in a blink of the eye...and a swift hook to the jaw. That punch had gusto. The strike spun MaloMyotismon, like a top. Okay, saying that Ash was mad, was a light way to describe his mood. Davis pondered, thinking that Ash had MaloMyotismon busy, but tried to figure out, how to get Misty, out of harm's way. Come to think of it, why weren't any of the Digimon, helping Ash?

"Davis!" Yolei yelled. "We need to help Ash!" Finally, someone noticed. Without thinking about Digivolving Veemon, Davis proceeded to jump off...KA-SPLAT! But, something invisible, but very solid, stopped Davis. Somehow, the concept, "look, before you leap," had been lost, somewhere along the line. Davis rubbed his face, trying to ease the pain from that smack. You could bet, Davis was upset at Yolei.

"What the heck, is a wall, doing here?" he grimaced. Yolei shook her head, believing she made a mistake. Well...

"How am I, suppose to know?" She didn't see it coming. Sarah reached out, and placed a hand on the wall. That's when the wall, emerged, but the area, she touched, melted off. The Digidestined were amazed. Sarah was able to dissolve part of the wall.

"What's this power?" she wondered. Seeing that. T.K. had a plan to evacuate Misty.

"Sarah, hold the wall, open," he ordered. Sarah nodded, as T.K. got Patamon ready. Patamon began to change form.

"Patamon Digivolve to...Angemon!" was the battle cry. Angemon emerged. He flew through the opening, and fluttered down to Misty, yards away from the slain president. Seeing the angel Digimon, Misty tried to get to her feet. The pain from MaloMyotismon, became too great, forcing her to go on her knees. "I got you." Misty wrapped her arms around Angemon. As he was ready to carry her up, Yolei turned to Ken, and Wormmon. Looked like someone was rechecking her list of memory.

"Ken, you might need to hide Wormmon," she issued. There's a seriously good reason for it. "Misty's got entomophobia." Entomophobia...the fear of bugs and insects, and Wormmon was amongst that category. Ken had Wormmon hide in his shirt, as Angemon made it back to cliff side. Sarah opened the wall, letting T.K. grab Misty, and embrace her, in a heart-warming hug.

"Oh, Takeru," she whimpered.

"Ease up, Misty," T.K. replied back. Angemon decided to get to the fight and help Ash. It's quite an awkward situation. A demon and an angel, working together? When Angemon arrived at the sight, MaloMyotismon wasn't pleased.

"Butt out of this, angel," he groaned. "This is between me and the boy." Angemon wasn't about to leave the scene. However, Ash was wanting revenge. He didn't need any help. Early on, he was doing fine. Maybe, he could take out MaloMyotismon.

"Make sure everyone is safe, Angemon," he commanded in a deeper, manlier voice. Yes, we have a hunk. "MaloMyotismon is mine." Angemon glared, with a grit. To him, finding Kari was more important. Ash realized the same thing, but saw something interesting. "Leave Kari and MaloMyotismon to me." Angemon agreed and returned to the rest. MaloMyotismon laughed. Something about that exchange, tickled the fiend, the wrong way.

"What a stupid fool. You should have accepted that angel's help." Ash wasn't about to let someone call him, "stupid," and get away with it. MaloMyotismon was no exception. His hands began to materialize black orbs, as MaloMyotismon's shoulders, reopened. Another barrage was on its way. "This is the advantage, I get from this world: rapid fire." Spitting out, like machine guns, MaloMyotismon fired volleys of his orbs, at Ash. Somehow, he forgot about the recent sock to the head. Using his wings, and acting like an acrobatic fighter pilot, Ash swayed, circled, barrel rolled, anything possible in dodging the orbs. Not one of MaloMyotismon's orbs touched the demonic Ash. Like sewing fabric, Ash threaded and needled his way pass the volleys, before tossing his pair. The orbs tagged the underarms of the enemy, shutting the shoulders with an impressive blast. The Digidestined were amazed at the maneuverability, Ash was displaying...a little overkill, to one.

"Showoff," Davis groaned. Okay, maybe, he was a bit playful. MaloMyotismon was mad at the skill, Ash demonstrated. He was going on the attack.

"Crimson Lightning!" The red lightning emerged, again. He was using the lightning, as a whip. Swinging, MaloMyotismon tried to tag a spark on Ash. Ash had to have been boosted with something excessive, because he caught the lightning, much to the chagrin, of the enemy.

"Here, I don't want it," he joked, as he chucked the lightning, back at the virus. "You take it!" Take it, MaloMyotismon did...to his mid-section. Ash charged in, attacking relentlessly, and not giving the hostile, a quarter. No money joke, here, folks.

"Finish him, off!" Calista shouted. Ash formed a giant black orb, ready to take the villain out. This match was...KA-STAB!...not over. In a last ditch move, MaloMyotismon summoned his Crimson Lightning, and skewered Ash, in the left arm, and stomach, in which the blade was sticking out the back. Oh, it's going to take more than Pepto-Bismol, to treat that.

"I must admit, young man," MaloMyotismon growled. "You've been the only human to strike me, let alone, decide to fight me. However, there is one fact, that I think you know: the reunion with 'Papa,' beyond the grave." Ash was in trouble, and no one could do a thing to save him. What was Ash going to do? He gritted in pain, as MaloMyotismon cackled at him. "Soon enough, this wound will be fatal, in addition, to inheriting your powers of darkness. So, my question to you, is upon your death. Do you have any last words?" If Ash was going to die, his smile was not an indicator. Well, the funny thing about his arm, was that it was absorbing the Crimson Lightning attack. In short, his major wound, wasn't so major.

"I have one," he sneakingly groaned in pain. His face shot a sudden grin. "Gotcha!" MaloMyotismon was stunned, but before he realized what was going on...WHAM! Immediately, after absorbing the lightning, Ash uppercut the bad Digimon, sending it skyward. T.K. and Yolei cheered at the strike. They were expecting something to be pulled from Ash's bag of tricks.

"There's the Classic Ash, we remember," she pointed out loud. Ah, the Classic Ash. As MaloMyotismon was falling, Ash turned the lightning, he had obtained, and materialized a glowing, blood red sword. If this was, what Misty, T.K., and Yolei thought it could be, then MaloMyotismon could be kissing that digital buttocks of his, long gone. Ash got into that familiar sword stance, holding the red sword, by his side, and being in a squatting position.

"Isn't that a samurai's stance?" Cody guessed. How do you pull a stance, in midair, like that? Ash waited for MaloMyotismon, as it descended. It was, more like, he was waiting for some video game voice over to say, "Finish Him!" MaloMyotismon became in range. Time to go, dude. That's when Ash swung the sword forward, slashing the darkened air, but instead of stopping, he turned the sword upward, creating a reversed J-pattern. Continuing, the blade was still being swung. Grabbing the hilt with his other hand, he spun 360 degrees, and finally, swung upward with such velocity. Those swings connected, greatly, slashing MaloMyotismon, across his body. MaloMyotismon was screaming in pain. He wouldn't be screaming for long. Ash wasn't quite done with the hacking, because the red sword, and he, zoomed to the enemy, once more. The final punctuation...

"MaloMyotismon, game over," the trainer/demon announced. He formed another black orb, and pressed it, on his sword. On contact...KABOOM!! A huge explosion rocked the place. The smoke and fire in the sky consumed the demonic trainer, and the villainous Digimon. Everyone was anxious to see, if either, or both, and let's not hope, both, MaloMyotismon or Ash survived the blast.

"Come on, master," Pikachu prayed. Although, holding on to hope, Misty buried her head into T.K.'s chest. She was overcome with what she saw. Everyone was, even Davis. Finally, Misty and Yolei had to scream his name out.

"Ash!" they shouted back-and-forth, repeatedly. A minute later, or several loud calls, whichever was longer, a rumbling sounded from the water. The girls were hoping that it was Ash. That's who it was. Ash was coming out of the water, looking human, again. He had to have lost his shirt, since he was bare-chested. He lived. He beat MaloMyotismon.

"He did it!" Sarah cheered. There would be an even bigger surprise for everyone. The black wings were still on Ash's back. That wasn't it, but it was an eye opener. So, Ash wasn't entirely human, yet. It came from what he found in the water. It was...Kari!

"It's Kari!" Tai screeched happily. "He found Kari!" She was here, the entire time. However, she was wearing a shimmering white nightgown...but she was unconscious. The barrier, that entrapped the Digidestined, had vanished, and everyone got to the bottom of the cliff, to join Ash and Kari, as they came in from the waters. Ash reached the mainland, and put Kari on the soft beach, before he collapsed, from fatigue and restlessness. His wings evaporated. His time, for being a powerful demon, was done. The Digidestined had surrounded Kari, calling her name, shaking her, trying to get her attention. She was unresponsive. Misty, Calista, and Sarah were doing the same thing to Ash. He was unresponsive. Both kids were out...and nothing was working to get them to wake up. Yolei had one option to take.

"Let's get out of here, and get them to a hospital," she suggested. Everyone agreed. They were hoping to get these two, medical treatment...if it wasn't too late to save them. MaloMyotismon was gone, Misty was rescued, and Kari was retrieved. Were those, Ash's last tasks, before he died? Would he be okay?

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TO BE CONTINUED...


	15. Fate Overruled?

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Chapter Disclaimer: I do not own Madonna's, or Enigma's song

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_Chapter 15: Fate Overruled?_

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Someone was opening his/her eyes. (S)he saw a ceiling, as (s)he began to wonder what was going on, and where (s)he was located. The person saw a blond nurse, talking to Joe. What was the conversation, all about? "Mr. Ketchum's injuries have healed up, quite remarkably, Nurse Kido," the female nurse reported. "However, in case he wakes up, make sure he doesn't eat any food, for the next 24 hours. I understand that, he's a good friend to you, but we don't want to see those wounds, re-aggravated." Joe nodded. It seemed like Ash was going to be okay. It was the wound, MaloMyotismon, inflicted on Ash, during that battle in the dark world. So, the seriousness of the injury wasn't as life-threatening, as believed.

"Thanks for the update, ma'am," Joe accepted. "I'll let Ash know, of the situation, when he-" Come on, Joe, finish. Well, he saw the person, trying to sit up, and wincing from the pain. "On second thought, see if Miss Waterflower wants to see him. I think, he overheard us." So, we were viewing the talk from Ash's point of view. The female nurse departed as Joe approached the patient. Sporting a smug look, Joe looked like, he was expecting Ash to be here, in a hospital. "Cody told me, you had one heck of a strike, MaloMyotismon took." Replay: MaloMyotismon stabbed Ash, who was in demon form, with a Crimson Lightning strike, but his left arm absorbed most of the attack, in more ways than one. When consumed, Ash walloped the evil Digimon, with a nasty uppercut. Followed, was his signature sword strike, carving MaloMyotismon, a new one, before the final blow caused an explosion, ultimately, killing the Digimon.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Ash groaned. He grimaced from the pain in his stomach, and it ain't cravings for food.

"Take it easy. Your stomach needs a day to fully recover." Ash nodded. Just then, Misty knocked on the door. Ash and Joe turned to the redhead water maiden, with a concerned look on her face. She was horribly worried about Ash, since that battle.

"Hey, Misty. You doing all right?" Misty was wearing a sweat suit, and her hair was in that typical ponytail. It was a replacement for her clothes that were ripped by that evil being. She approached Ash's bed...and slapped the trainer, across his cheeks. Facial cheeks, not butt cheeks, perverts. Okay, it seemed like the violence wasn't over. Ash was stunned. Why did she smack him?

"Stop throwing your life away," she whined. "Every time, there's a big situation, and you rush headlong into it, without thinking of your own safety. I know, you do this, to right wrongs, but that doesn't give you a reason to jump into a life or death ordeal. I heard a few from May, about it." Keep in mind, it was Max's big sister, not Rally's teen partner. Man, Misty was upset about Ash's recklessness, over the time, he'd been a trainer.

"I'm sorry, Misty." Misty acknowledged his apology. "But, I need to get better, soon, if I have to save Kari." What? He didn't know? Joe and Misty were wondering how he had no clue, that Kari was recovered.

"You already did," he clarified. Ash snapped his head at the male nurse. "She's resting, in the next room." So, Kari was safe. However, Joe displayed a face of concern. Something wasn't looking kosher, and it wasn't the salt, from the hospital kitchen. "She's in a coma. I don't know, how long, she's been like that." So, she was still sleeping, but in a more serious state. Misty was trying to figure out, how Ash wasn't aware of Kari, being in his arms, when he rose from the water.

"How could you, not have known, that Kari was in your grasps?" she asked. Ash remembered the fight, as he tried to backtrack his memory banks.

"The last thing, I remember, was when that explosion happened," he struggled. "Then, everything went black, until a few minutes ago." Huh...He didn't remember anything from after the fight, apparently. Misty couldn't puzzle out why Ash didn't know about the girl in his arms. Joe, otherwise, had a hypothesis of what happened to the trainer.

"Okay, I think I got it," he figured. "Medical reports said that, other than a pierced abdomen, Ash suffered a mild concussion, and major fatigue and insomnia. The concussion could have stemmed from that contact blast, in addition to lack of proper oxygen to the brain." Okay, that could explain the short-term memory, Ash suffered from. However, still, it didn't clarify how he was conscious enough to drag the girl from the water. The gym leader and trainer were wanting info on that subject.

"Alright, but what about when Ash pulled Kari from out of the water?" she wondered. Ash had no recollection, but Joe had a feeling that Ash was under the InfiniDevil's possession.

"I heard from Izzy, about that mark, Ash had, being the mark of the InfiniDevil. I believe, out of sudden takeover, the demon spirit hauled Ash to Kari, then both out of the water, before somehow, vanishing. Check your arm, Ash." Ash pulled up the sleeve on his left arm, checking on the...Where's the mark? It's gone! Joe, seeing the clean arm...well, slightly charred, actually. He nodded, saying that there was a reason, the mark was gone. "The InfiniDevil's insignia has died. It used all of it's power to protect you, as much as possible." The InfiniDevil acted like a guardian to Ash. Ash realized that, without that mark, he's a normal young man. So, Ash was hoisted by the InfiniDevil, as well as Kari from the waters. Wait...what happened after that? How did they go from the dark world to the hospital?

"How did I wind up, here, after the battle?" he questioned. There had to be some sort of transportation, that they used.

"Well, as you and Kari were helped toward land, Cody e-mailed me, requesting a ride back. I digivolved Gomamon into Ikkakumon, and boarded some of you guys, across the ocean." Cody knew that Ash had suffered significant injuries, and messaged ahead. Realizing the facts, Ash knew that he was going to be okay...to a point.

"First Cody, then Joshua, and now, myself," he whispered. "Why? Why our dads?" Misty and Joe looked on, helpless to ease the troubled raven. Ash turned his body, wanting to get out of his bed. The other two acted a little panicked. They were afraid to see Ash, strain from pain. "I want to see Kari." If the death of his father could be healed, it would start with seeing her. Joe was unsure, as well as Misty. That's when another redhead girl emerged. It was...

"Julia?" She nodded. Julia approached Ash, with her throat, covered in stitches, wanting to assist Ash. She was wearing a white tank top, with roses on the top, as well as sweat shorts. Immediately, she turned to Joe.

"Is it all right, if I take him?" she requested. Joe, unsteadily nodded, and helped Ash off of his bed, and into Julia's shoulder. "So, how does it feel to be on the other end of the 'stick'?" Ash laughed a little, but kept it easy. "Nurse Kido, which room is the chick in?"

"Room 305, three rooms near here." With a nod, Julia and Ash got to room 305. There, Tai, Matt, Davis, T.K., Yolei, Sora, and Sarah were huddled around a bed, where Kari was resting on. Her head and arms, were the only parts, exposed from the blankets. Sarah felt Ash's presence as he and Julia entered the room.

"Hello, Ash," she greeted. "How were your three days, of rest?" Three days? Ash was out that long? Wonder if, at any time, his nightmares flared up, again?

"Not that easy to deal with," he grimaced. "How do you think I feel, since losing Dad?" Miserable, for a start. That's when, for a long time, Ash was able to see Kari. Every piece of past memory, back from the travel of RainBellian, raced in his head, from when they found each others' creatures, to battling the Vendetta, to the first kiss, to when they left. And now, here they were, together again...with a few twists. They were in New York, Ash was getting over a repetitive nightmare, and Kari appeared to be dead. Seemingly lost light. For Ash, seeing her was relief, but seeing her, like this, was sorrowing. "I can't believe, that this is her." With Julia's help, Ash got to Kari's side, and placed a hand on her hand. "Hello, Kari. It's me, Ash." Davis was going to yank Ash away, but Yolei placed a hand on his shoulder. Turning to her, Davis saw the older teen, shake her head, saying no. Davis twisted his head back. With Kari, lying there, in that comatose state, no one, not even Ash, could do a thing. As they filed out of Kari's room, other than Julia, they stemmed faces of anguish, disbelief, and surrender.

**You only see, what your eyes, want to see;  
How can I feel, what you want it to be?  
You're frozen, when your heart's not open.**

Ash and the rest exited the hospital. Although warned about no food for an entire day, Ash was released on his own recognizance. Still, his mind was so focused on Kari, nightmare or not, his time of resting wouldn't be easy

**You're so consumed with how much you get;  
You waste your time with hate and regret;  
You're broken, when your heart's not open.**

Back at Mimi's house, Ash was given a warm welcome, by the other Digidestined, Duplica and Todd, as well as the Togepis. Ash felt appreciated, but still, overwhelmed by Kari, in that coma.

**If I could melt your heart;  
We'd never be apart;  
Give yourself to me;  
Here for...the key.**

The next day, Ash, and Pikachu returned to Kari's room. She was still comatose. Pikachu hopped on, getting a good look at the brunette Digidestined. Ash decided to tell Kari, a story. A story, about his early days, as a trainer.

**Now, there's no point in placing the blame;  
And, you should know, I suffer the same;  
If I lose you, my heart will be broken.**

As he and Pikachu were going home, they stopped by Central Park. There, they made a small pile of stones, under a bridge. There was something carved on the peak stone. "GIOVANNI." Ash's late father. Making the pile, he and his Pokémon prayed, that Giovanni's journey to the afterlife, would be peaceful.

**Love is a bird, she needs to fly;  
Let all the hurt, inside of you, die;  
You're frozen, when your heart's not open.**

Ash made visits, daily, to Kari's room, hoping that each day, was the day she rose from her coma. Still, each day, he'd tell her those stories, about his adventures. If she wouldn't wake up, at least, she'd sleep happily.

**If I could melt your heart;  
We'd never be apart;  
Give yourself to me;  
Here for...the key.**

One day, after visiting Kari, Ash decided to stop by a jewelry store. Considering that both of their birthdays were fast approaching, he wanted to get something for that girl. Stepping inside, he saw all sorts of accessories: earrings, necklaces, piercings, dog tags, watches, bracelets, you name it. "Can I help you, youngster?" a male clerk addressed. Ash was over by the necklaces. Was there a specific piece he wanted?

"You got angels?" he asked. Of course, using the light, as a source. The clerk smiled. He had something in that warehouse of a shop, that could help Ash.

"You're in luck, kid. I've got scores full of angels. They're not as big sellers, as say, a lot of Def Jam merchandise." The clerk pulled out a box. Inside, there were beautifully created angels. There were praying angels, flying angels, sleeping angels, all in gold, platinum, diamond, copper, bronze...lilac? There was a little lilac angel, holding its hands out, like it was offering something. It was. A heart, and no, not one from a human, ACLU. The clerk believed Ash had picked his angel. Who could argue? It was a cute little angel, other than being flat. "You have colorful taste. You want it, in a necklace?"

"Yeah, you bet." The clerk snagged the angel, and threaded the angel, with a skinny silver chain. Ash made the purchase. You got to handed to his success as a trainer. "Thanks!" Ash was satisfied with what he got. Still, he was worried. Kari would probably not wake up, remain a vegetable, for the rest of her life. Best, not to think that way.

**You only see, what your eyes, want to see;  
How can I feel, what you want it to be?  
You're frozen, when your heart's not open.**

Day by day, hopes for the Digidestined, to see Kari awake, were drifting away. There was nothing working. Duplica and Todd, got to see her. Calista and Sarah were able to see her. Everyone got to see her, even Rally, Rebbecca, and Peter. Still, all those days, Ash was there.

**If I could melt your heart;  
We'd never be apart;  
Give yourself to me;  
Here for...the key.  
If I could melt your heart;  
We'd never be apart;  
Give yourself to me;  
Here for...the key.**

A week after Ash had risen from his fight with MaloMyotismon, he visited, one more time. It was Ash's and Kari's birthday. Ash held on to Kari's whistle, while holding onto her present. "Happy Birthday, Kari," he whispered. No response. It was the final straw. Ash was giving up.

**If I could melt your heart...**

As a sorrowing act, Ash removed the whistle from his person, and put it in her hands. It was like, she became a lost cause. With one final moment of silence, and when big brother Tai entered the room, the teary-eyed Ash bolted from the room. It was too much for him to bear. When he exited the hospital, he dashed away, tears falling from the crying face. He ran past Trina and Joshua, exiting a theater, which had one film, named "BAD NEWS BEARS, Starring Billy Bob Thornton." The two were wondering if Ash was okay. Clearly, he wasn't. Back at the hospital, Tai kept a tight eye on Kari. Brother/sister bond seemed to have no effect. "He came from Pallet Town, for you, and had gone to great lengths, because of how much he cares," he told. "The least, you can do, is look at him." It was like the phone was ringing in her head...and she finally answered. She moaned. Tai heard it. She was waking up. She opened her eyes, slowly, seeing her big bro.

"T-Tai?" she weakly spoke. She was alive! Hallelujah!

"Kari, hey, girl, Happy Birthday." Kari giggled a bit. To her, waking up on her birthday, was like being reborn. It was a funny feeling. That's when she felt something in her hands, and opened them up. She saw her whistle. She remembered giving that whistle to Ash.

"He's here, isn't he?" Tai nodded. She deserved to know the truth. She tried to get up and get out, but Tai addressed her, to the hospital gown, she had on.

"Misty and Mimi picked up clothes, for you, when you got out of your coma." Being clothed was a good way to say, she's awake. Seeing the clothes, Kari knew to trust in him. Guess Tai wanted Kari to look her best, when she reunited with Ash. While she was getting dressed, Joshua and Trina chased after Ash, through the streets, wondering if he, mentally, was okay. As they raced through Times Square, T.K. and Misty were coming out of a coffee shop, like they were on a date. Joshua was slowing down, seeing her. What was going on?

"Jen?" he called out. What the- Joshua thought Misty was Jen. Well, if you had a photo of Jen and Misty, together, you couldn't really blame Joshua. He ran up and caught Misty's shoulder, thus, had the girl turn to him. Joshua panicked. He made a blunder. "I'm sorry." T.K. and Misty were wondering what was going on.

"Sorry for what?" she asked.

"I thought you were my ex-girlfriend. You look a lot like her." Misty smiled, understanding the mistaken identity. T.K. saw some sweat from Trina. That sweat got the blond boy curious.

"You two seem to be in a hurry," he pointed out. Trina was willing to tell the two, about who they spotted.

"We saw Ash, running down, this way," she huffed. "And he appeared to be incredibly upset." Misty and T.K. got the message, and were concerned about their friend. They decided to follow the path, thought that Ash had dashed through. Misty was wondering about why this Jen and Joshua had an in-and-out relationship.

"This girl, who was your ex-girlfriend," she brought up. "What happened that caused you two to break up?" Joshua wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her, about his ex, at this time. They were after Ash.

"Later," he warned. "Ash comes first." Where did Ash go? Meanwhile, Kari was dressed. She was in a yellow, sleeveless t-shirt, pink basketball shorts, and Adidas Astroturf shoes. Looking over to Tai, he saw her, as ready.

**Turn around and smell what you don't see;  
Close your eyes ... it is so clear;  
Here's the mirror, behind there is a screen,  
On both ways you can get in;  
Don't think twice, before you listen to your heart;  
Follow the trace for a new start;  
What you need and everything you'll feel;  
Is just a question of the deal;  
In the eye of storm, you'll see a lonely dove  
The experience of survival is the key,  
To the gravity of love!**

"He needs you," he said. "I've given you, the okay to leave." Kari nodded. She walked out of the room, out of the hospital, and onto the streets. That's when she got a beep. She grabbed her D-Terminal, and got a message. It was from T.K.

ASH IN C. PARK WITH PIKACHU. MEET THEM THERE. -T.K. P.S.-TAI INFORMED ME OF YOUR AWAKENING.

From Tai, Kari learned that Ash had been through a lot, in saving her from the darkened land. She raced to Central Park. A reunion was about to happen.

**Try to think about it ...  
That's the chance to live your life and discover,  
What it is, what's the gravity of love.**

Ash and Pikachu were in the park, sitting on a bench. The trainer felt that he had done everything in New York. Now, with everything, as normal as they could be, Ash was ready to go back home. There was still that journey in Sinnoh, that he wanted to attend. "Well Pikachu, I guess, I need to get ready to go on," he half-heartedly smiled. "If anything, I believe Dad and Kari'll be watching me in the heavens." Dad, yeah. Kari? Not quite. T.K., Misty, Joshua, and Trina watched on, from amongst some bushes, in the distance, in the quick evening sky. It was 7:05 PM. "I think, the only question is, how do we get back to the Pokémon world?" That's a _really_ good question. Seeing Ash, somewhat returning to normal, T.K. began to wonder about this bad lovey-dovey matching with this Jen-girl.

"So, what happened to you, that you and your ex, got a divorce?" he grilled Joshua. Joshua and Jen weren't married! For that, Misty bopped T.K., in the head. Bad T.K.

"They were boyfriend/girlfriend, not husband/wife," she scolded. Yeah, their relationship didn't blossom right.

"Well, we were childhood friends, since we were four years old," Joshua explained. "We began to grow on each other, and, for eight years, we respected each other. We helped each other, with homework, fitness, anything in our grasp. Then, it all changed, when some jerk, and leveled me, badly. I never touched him, much less start a fight, but I wound up with mangled ribs, ruptured liver, and a busted pelvis. I was, also, expelled from school, saying that I instigated the fight. I was hoping that Jen would help me plead my case. She did the exact opposite. She nagged, saying that he guy, she's now dating, had beat me up, in self-defense, and all the peers bought it. The only one, who believed that I was innocent was my own mom." Ouch, and this guy was the victim of betrayal. Could it have been any worse?

"Wow," Trina stuttered. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that." Trina had it worse. That's when she put a hand on his hand. "Listen, I'm here for you, Joshy. I'm not that way, at all, thanks to you, and Ash." Joshua nodded, accepting her plea. Satisfied, Misty appeared pleased with that turnout, more since Ash was involved with helping out.

"Ash rarely gets beaten up," she mocked the two. "When he gets over it, he walks away. Still, I'd admire his calm demeanor." T.K. was willing to disagree. There was one occasion, in which he was wanting to fight back.

"Then, you should have been there, when Ash and Davis, first met," he gloated. "If it hadn't been for Duplica, then, I believe that we wouldn't be here, now." Reverting back to chapter three, Davis was appalled by Ash's announcement, and flung a couple punches in retaliation. Duplica came up and KO'ed Davis, before Ash was really hurt. Before anyone could reply, Ash was getting up to leave. Kari needed to hurry. As Ash, tears shedding from the possible loss, was starting to walk away, Pikachu looked on, hoping that something or someone would arrive to cheer him up. Yolei was a good choice. That's when he heard panting, and turned to see Kari. For someone who had just gotten out of a coma, she was moving really well. Seeing him walk, Kari was wondering if there was a way to alert him. That's when she got her whistle...and blew. The shrill got to Ash, who stopped. This was the moment. Was Ash going to respond to the whistle, and not for a False Start penalty, costing him five yards and a repeat of a down?

**Look around just people, can you hear their voice;  
Find the one who'll guide you to the limits of your choice,  
But if you're in the eye of storm,  
Just think of the lonely dove;  
The experience of survival is the key,  
To the gravity of love.**

He did, and it was like when they first met. However, instead of the creatures, running to their masters, Ash and Kari walked to each other, wondering if this was a dream. Ash needed a good dream to get over his nightmares. They sped up, to running. This would be a dream come true. They met in the middle, and embraced each other in a hug, overly excited to see each other.

"Kari!" Ash cheered happily.

"Ash!" Kari teared in a great mood. Both cried, glad to see each other. The kids in the bushes were proud of the reunion. "I'm sorry, for making you come here." Ash brushed her hair back, making her, look at the trainer, who was as happy, as ever. He wanted to see Kari, for a long time.

"There's no need. I would've wanted to see you, anyway, girl." Loved by his reply, both of them, leaned in and kissed each other. They kissed again, but kept their faces glued, quite literally, for a long time. If there was a sign that everything was A-okay, these two have sealed the fact. Ash was fully back to normal. Kari was, too. The two were in love. There was going to be more for the two. What awaited the two children, as happiness, felt so comfortable, you could sleep on it?

TO BE CONTINUED...


	16. The Best Birthday Present: You

Chapter Disclaimer: Here's that list again of what I do not own: Pani Poni Dash, Gunsmith Cats, ComicMan416.

* * *

_Chapter 16: The Best Birthday Present: You_

18 months ago, Ash and Kari saw each other, retrieving their creatures, after RainBellian's Princess Crystal spared their lives, at the South Pole. The scene became a prelude to what was to come. Ash and Kari were together, when they first came together, with T.K. and Misty. Together, when they shared their stories of survival. Together, when Kari believed Misty got rather close to T.K., and ran off. Together, when they battled the Vendetta. Together, when they were in the dark world, beforehand. Together, when they crossed continents. Together, after an amazing rescue in the air. Together, on hard decisions. Together, when helping friends. Together, battling the legendary cosmic dragon. Together, when Crystal passed on. Together, until they were sent to their respective homes, never to see each other again. Somehow, the crosswinds of fate wound up rebinding Ash and Kari together...that, or they didn't get Crystal's final message. Now, once again, they were together, and they couldn't pick a better night to do it. It was their birthdays. Ash was turning 15 years old, and Kari was turning 14. Oh, let's not forget, that Kari had awaken from her mysterious coma.

Kari was staring at the clear, moonlit, starry night, on the bench, in Central Park, alongside Pikachu. The memories of her, with Ash, were reminiscing through her mind. She was living a dream that nearly wasn't going to be true. She couldn't be happier. Just wait, Kari, there's a bigger surprise, coming your way. Ash, who was returning from a supposed coffee shop run, walked over to the bench, carrying a couple of beverages, one in each hand. Arriving, he offered a cup to Kari, as T.K., Misty, Trina and Joshua watched on, like they were watching a dating video. "Thanks," Kari accepted as she had taken the cup. Luckily, it was non-alcoholic. Caffeine, perhaps? Ash sat by Kari on the bench, and stared at the same night-lit sky. "Lovely night, tonight, isn't it?" It was a great night.

"Sure is," he softly spoke. Pikachu squeaked in agreement. It was like a time before, that Ash remembered. Did Kari? "Remember, the last time, we were like this?" Well, if she remembered 18 months ago, she should.

"After we defeated Godal, and saw Ravors and Crystal die on us? Of course I do. That was when you gave me, one of your caps, and I gave you, my whistle." So, memories of that last day on RainBellian, was still fresh in their heads. "To be honest, I...I didn't think I would see you again. I would, still, be happy, but unsatisfied with my life." Ash would agree, but more than what she was going to relax on.

"If we had waited any longer, you wouldn't see the next day." Of course, Gatomon wouldn't have been happy. Hearing from her big brother, Tai, about Ash rescuing her, Kari nodded. She decided to change the topic, and talk about how his life was doing, since separating, before.

"So, how've you been doing, with your Pokémon training?" Not phased by her choice in topic, Ash decided to reply.

"It's good. I got pretty far, in the Evergrand Tournament, in Hoenn. Finished in the top eight to a top-notch trainer, who won the championship. Then, I traveled around my home region, and made a run throughout the Battle Frontier. I beat all the Frontier Brains, and was offered a chance to have my own gym or Frontier facility, but I declined, and was on my way to the Sinnoh region, for a new adventure. That's when I was sent to look for you." Ash knew about her disappearance because of Gatomon's mood, in Violet Village. He, also, told the cat, that he would look, no matter what. "Let's face it, when that gate to RainBellian opened up, all I could think of was you, despite having Duplica and Todd around." Kari would've said the same thing...if it happened to her.

"I know, how it would feel. The gates to the lands, you'd know about, and the first thing to pop up, are old friends. Then again, I would've said good bye to Tai, to T.K., to Davis..." What's this? She would've been leaving the Digidestined? Maybe, she found a way to get to the Pokémon world. Ash was concerned. She wouldn't decide to part ways with her friends, without a good reason. He had to find out, what it was.

"Can you explain your problem?" Kari wouldn't lie to her beloved boyfriend. Still, what she was about to spill, was staggering.

"Well, six months ago, T.K., Izzy, Yolei, myself, and the Digimon were honoring Princess Crystal, and her longevity as ruler of RainBellian. After we made prayers, I received a message. Believe it or not...it was her." Her, as in Crystal? That _was _hard to believe. Even Ash had a mental double-take.

"From...beyond the grave?" Kari nodded. It _was_ Crystal. What was the message?

"Had me jump a bit. He told me that the Forever Crown had made a choice on the new bearer." Then, three little words, made a situation, seem terminal. "It chose me." Misty and T.K. gasped. Kari was going to become the new ruler of RainBellian, and wear the Forever Crown, a crown that allowed the wearer, to rule over RainBellian. In addition, the Forever Crown would grant immunity from time and medical issues. Princess Crystal was 215 years young, when she was killed by the cosmic dragon. Ash gritted from that news. From her 14th birthday on, she could rule the colorful world, for many generations, to come. The good news: she would be healthy for such a long time, maybe through eternity. The bad news: It would mean being separated from their true loves. Trina and Joshua seemed befuddled by what Kari was addressing, thus, they turned to the other two, for answers.

"You two, seem to be, more in-tune to this conversation, than we are," Trina noted. Misty and T.K. turned their heads at the locals, thinking that secrets were coming out, and that a clarification was in order. "RainBellian, Forever Crown, Princess Crystal...what's going on? Did you guys go to some mystical land, and fight some horde of monsters?" Misty and T.K. glared at each other, wondering who would speak out. Neither would. Someone showed up.

"Well, if you mean monsters, like me and Pikachu, over there, then I would take offense," scorned Patamon, who appeared out of nowhere. Okay, behind T.K., tried to make it a surprise. Well, he surprised Trina, who jumped a little. T.K. sighed in frustration. Was it really necessary, for that?

"Patamon, not at the locals," he grunted.

"Yeah, sorry." Patamon turned back to Trina and Joshua, willing to tell a tale, a very few knew. "Over a year and a half ago, Ash, Misty, T.K., and Kari, as well, as Pikachu, Gatomon and I, survived supposed tragedies, and entered a world, in dire straits. That was RainBellian. We, immediately, became friends, and align ourselves, against a hoodlum of enemies, called Vendetta. After we beaten the last Vendetta, and freed the princess, we fought a legendary dragon, but in the process of victory, the princess was killed. So, for about 18 months, everything was normal, until a few weeks ago." Trina and Joshua couldn't feel anything but sorrowed. T.K. and Misty...they nodded, saying that it was true. That's when Misty turned to Patamon, with a question.

"Who came with you?" she wondered. Patamon pointed over to some other trees to the side. One look, had another reunion in the making. Yolei and Ken were huddled behind the trees, with Hawkmon, Wormmon (Sensing entomophobia?), Yolei's Togepi...and Gatomon, Kari's Digimon. To Misty, their timing was perfect. "Well, Reunion Night's going strong." In the distance, Gatomon was surprised. For quite some time, the digitized cat was kept distant from the brunette girl. However, thanks to Ash's promise, she was there, being comforted by that trainer, for heeding the words that she would take over as the pillar of RainBellian. That's when Ash saw her. He waived Gatomon over, which got Kari's attention. As Kari looked to that direction, Gatomon, cautiously, approached the two. The girl and cat saw eye-to-eye, but were they glad to see each other?

"Gatomon?" Kari called in question. Gatomon approached the two, finally realizing that it was her. It was her partner. Both smiled, and cried. Gatomon leaped up to Kari, who caught her, and embraced her in a relieving hug. "Gatomon!"

"Oh, Kari!" the kitten cried in happiness. They shared tears of joy. Ash and Pikachu watched, like everyone else, while Kari and Gatomon let their emotions out. "I don't wanna leave you, again." Sniffing and wiping tears from her face, Kari was happy to see Gatomon,doing all right.

"I don't wanna leave you, either, but I don't know, if I can keep that promise." Gatomon nodded. She was around Kari, when Kari got Crystal's message. Ash was worried. If Kari was going to be the next princess of RainBellian, what would be Gatomon's fate? Would she become a stray Digimon? "I think Ash would be more than capable, to take care of you." Whoa, full timeout! Ash would be the soul caretaker of Gatomon? Someone say it ain't so...She turned to Ash, willing to finish her story, of how she wound up in that dark world. "For the next few months, I was planning to tell everyone, about the message, I got, unsure if anyone would believe me. Suddenly, last month, I was ready to go, and tell Tai and Davis, about my situation, when Myotismon showed up. He proclaimed that he was looking for a demonic soul, that would be attracted to the light. Before I could call help, I was knocked out. It was when you gave me the whistle, I gave you, when I realized that I was out of Myotismon's clutches." So, this Myotismon had captured Kari, as a lure to take the InfiniDevil, away from Ash. Ash realized that Kari had been through a lot, and that the message of being the new pillar, was a whopper to stomach, not that it's the same Whopper, as from Burger King, mind you.

"I'm sorry that you had gone through so much," he murmured. "I could take it back, with Myotiismon killing my old man, of who I hadn't seen for over a dozen years." Joshua and Trina were stunned. They realized that Ash and his father, Giovanni, the president of Team Rocket and who they had no idea who he was, came together, only for a moment. Kari had to give him, some comfort.

"I heard, that you had gone all out to find me. I, probably, shouldn't have expected less, from someone, I love. I guess, soon enough, I'll be going to that North Pole, and there, I can give you my D-3, and D-Terminal, as well as Gatomon." This could be the last time, those two would be together? No, something was suppose to say something, that could tell Kari, that there was still time.

"Is it that urgent?" When the guardians got wind of Crystal's death, they said that the stability of RainBellian would last 25 years without a pillar.

"No, and I'm not too sure, that I want to become that pillar, now." That was little relief. RainBellian could last another 23 years, so, rushing to be the next pillar, wasn't necessary.

"Then, what do you want to do?" Kari was dumbfounded. Did Ash, _really_, give Kari, a moment to make a decision? She gave the proposition, a minute to calculate. Finally, she made a choice.

"I want to go with you." Ash and Kari, through the Pokémon world? Was it possible? Ash smiled. Looked like he appreciated the decision.

"We can do that." Kari and Gatomon, as well as Misty and T.K., were shocked. Kari would be allowed to go, with Ash and Pikachu, to their world. "There is a vessel, back on Reda, that we can use, to go to my world. I bet, that you'll enjoy the Pokémon world." Kari was very pleased, and none the noticeable. Misty saw Ash's promise, as a lie. Ash wouldn't do that, would he?

"How does he plan, on getting to RainBellian, from here?" she scowled. T.K. glared at Misty, like she was the clueless kid. It could've stemmed from what Princess Sarah, told the Digidestined, back in the Kiri Kiri Mountains.

"You told Sarah, that Ash has a tendency of resolving situations," he backtracked. "So, maybe, he's figured out a way to get to RainBellian, without difficulty." It's possible? That's when Ash grabbed Kari's present. It was time for birthday gifts, as Ken and Yolei were...holding each other's hands? Didn't Yolei confessed to Ash, back on the Statue of Liberty? Maybe, they were praying for the turnout, to be good.

"I got a chance to look at the calendar," Ash mentioned. "When I did, I had a little bit of extra time, where I had gone out and...well...here." Kari opened the boxed present, and pulled out that lilac angel necklace. "Happy birthday, Kari." Kari and Gatomon gasped at the angel, with the heart in its hands. T.K. and Trina were amazed at the gift. They looked like they wanted one, themselves.

"Whoa, dude's pulling out all the stops," she awed. The glistening angel, had Kari, in a silent glare...not for long.

"It's beautiful," she hummed. "This is the best birthday present, I've ever gotten. Not even T.K. could match this. Davis tried, and bombed, badly." That's when she turned to Ash. "But you're not Davis. In fact, you're the complete opposite. Thank you, Ash." Ash chuckled, but felt humbled by the sheer honesty of Kari. That's when he was going to spill a surprise, of his own.

"You know, when I saw, when your birthday was, I was in a bit of shock," he complained in a joyous matter. Kari was about to find out, the hard way.

"What's so significant, that my birthday got you in a state of shock?" For those who remembered Ash's conversation with Rally and May, and/or remembered the last chapter...here it came, once more.

"Well, it just so happens, that your birthday, is on the same day as my birthday." Kari, obviously, was stunned. Then again, the same could be said about everyone else.

"Talk about coincidence," Joshua muttered. Trina and Patamon moved their heads up and down.

"Come on," Kari bellowed. "There's no reason to start pulling legs." Ash was honest, but he had to make a joke out of Kari's remark.

"The only legs, I pulled, were Myotismon's, in which, I shoved them, up his hide," he gloated. "But yeah. It's rather significantly interesting, that our birthdays were on the same day. A lot of people would say that it's a coincidence." Hearing that, Gatomon believed that Ash would say that the co-aligned birthdays were more than that.

"Are you saying that its fate, telling you two to be together?" the kitten asked.

"Pretty much. I mean, I told a couple of bounty hunters from Chicago, about it." Kari gave a slight sigh, not wanting to argue. She did let off a little chuckle.

"If I knew that our birthdays were on the same day, I would've grabbed something," she pointed out. Well, for someone you love, knowing his/her birthday would be sufficient. Knowing that, could help you plan on what to get him/her, for that day.

"Actually, Kari, I already got the best gift, I could get." Oh, someone was playing the spoiled sport. What gift did Ash get, that he deemed to be the best? And who gave it to him? Kari had a few suspects, that would give Ash, some things for his new aging.

"Was it Yolei, giving you stylish windbreakers, or Davis, offering you Rolando's yellow jersey?" Like Ash needed more clothes. Yolei overheard her friend, thinking that she was serious about getting gifts, for the trainer.

"Well, I kinda wish I did," she murmured quietly. Ash laughed. He thought Kari was joking...or was it that she had no clue on what the gift was?

"Silly, it's you," he answered. Kari was dumbstruck. Gatomon, too. What did Ash mean, when he said, it was Kari, that provided the best present? She didn't have any, when she and Ash found each other. "You're the best present, I could ever have." He referred Kari as the present? Smooth operator, Ash was. He was willing to explain. "Ever since, we separated from RainBellian, I was feeling, somewhat, lonely. Last year, I was watching May, participate in the Grand Festival, for coordinators. In between her performances, my mind wasn't on Pokémon, or my friends. I think, the only one who really noticed, was Max. He came to me, asking, 'Don't tell me, your mind's drifted back to RainBellian?' and I just shook my head. I told him that I was willing to know how you were doing, and that I wanted to see you, again." Oh, he missed her, very dearly. Kari felt humbled at the dedication. Ash wanted to see her for a long time, and now, his wish came true.

"Took you, long enough, didn't it?" Ash giggled. Even he knew that it was a long wait.

"Yeah, but...it was worth it." A moment passed as the two looked eye-to-eye, as everyone else's eyes eyed them. "Happy Birthday, Hikari Kamiya."

"Happy Birthday, Ashton Ketchum." They leaned in, ready to kiss. Closer...closer...almost there...

"What in the world do you two think you're doing?!" was the ear-shattering shout of Rebbecca. Ash and Kari jumped in fright, nearly falling over the bench, from the child prodigy's yelling. Dang it. What a way to spoil a perfectly good romantic moment. Everyone was wondering who the loud mouth tyke was.

"Where did that romance wrecker appear from?" Joshua questioned in a grumble. Misty growled in anger, T.K. shifted his hand-covered head left and right, in frustration, and Trina just kept watching. It was like, she wasn't daunted by Rebbecca's arrival.

"Note to self, when dating: expect unexpected occurrences, and keep head level," she repeated what she was writing in a notebook. Yolei and Ken were in disbelief, themselves. Could her timing be any worse?

"Can't you see, they're having an intimate moment here?" Gatomon argued. Pikachu lipped off, backing Gatomon's words. Undaunted by the knowledge of Pikachu and Gatomon talking, Rebbecca still was urging an explanation from the teens, upset, from not getting that kiss, together.

"I'm just here, to make sure, you two aren't doing anything, excessive," she groveled. Excessive, like...let's not go there, please?

"Interesting time to see you again, Rebbecca," Ash shrugged. "Besides, we've just got ourselves reunited, we love each other, so, there's no reason to pop up, like that, and give us nonsense." Well, a nine-year-old wanted things, in the park or anywhere, to be "PG" ordeals. Rebbecca's eyes glared at Kari for a second, when she heard the words, "reunited", and "love." She looked back at Ash, with a satisfied smirk.

"You really know what you've got, dude. Five words for you: Do not let go of her." Rebbecca, that was six. Let's hope that your time at MIT was well. Kari was curious about who the blond child was.

"You weren't dating anyone else, were you?" she questioned Ash. Ash crept his head left and right, saying that he was clean. Rebbecca wanted to back Ash's denial.

"Nah, he's too old for me. I'm Rebbecca Miyamoto. I was visiting New York, before going to school in Cambridge." Wait until you read Kari's reaction to the school, Rebbecca's attending.

"What grade? 4th?"

"I'm not an elementary schoolgirl. I'm attending MIT." Ash decided to clarify on the school.

"It's a college," he said. Kari jerked her head at Ash, double-taking back to Rebbecca. "She is a brainiac." Kari sighed in dismay. She couldn't believe that this kid was a college student.

"Just what this world needs," she whimpered. "More prodigies." Misty heard their conversation, understanding Rebbecca's status. If only they knew how smart she was.

"So, we've encountered a child genius," she moaned, before showing a sinister grin. "I bet she and Max would make a cute couple." Two knowledge bursting kids, together? Someone sensing world domination? "Well, him or Cody." First, suggestions on Max, and now Cody? T.K. didn't see things, that way. He had a suggestion, as well.

"Not quite," he denied. "She'd be better fitted for Davis." Joshua turned to T.K., on response to hearing Davis's name, like he knew him.

"Wait...Davis, as in Ash's basketball partner?" he reacted. Misty, T.K., and Trina turned to Joshua, wondering what he was talking about. Remember chapter six?

"Ash play basketball?" Misty questioned. Joshua, then, brought out a black hand-held device, with arrow buttons, and a sliding circular piece, on the left of a wide screen monitor. The right of the monitor had four buttons, shaped like a diamond. The north button was a triangle. East was a circle. West was a square, and south was an "X."

"Luckily, I managed to upload the footage onto my PSP." A little work, later, the PSP started to play the video of the game, between the Warp and the Rodeos. As they were watching it, the light illuminated above the bushes. Seeing the light, Ash, Kari and Rebbecca were starting to ponder about the reunion, being a plan for someone to view, like spies.

"What do you think that light's all about?" Kari motioned. Rebbecca wondered herself. More reporters? She wanted to go investigate. If they were being watched, she would be the one, issuing fees.

"Why don't I look?" she offered. "I believe you two, loving each other, and that you won't do anything that would throw your butts in jail." Ash nodded.

"We appreciate it, Professor Miyamoto," he murmured. As Rebbecca headed to where the light was, Ash and Kari, finally, locked lips. There we go! By the light and bushes, Joshua's PSP was viewing the ending of the game, starting with...

"This shot, even had DJ Hamby, wanting a replay," he noted. It was the sideline saver, in which Ash threw the basketball, away from going out of bounds, and scoring, into the basket. It was also number two, on ESPN's SportsCenter's top plays, the following day. Misty and T.K. were stunned, but then again, tell that to Stuart Scott.

"You would need luck, the size of Russia, to pull something like that, and Ash did," T.K. awed, as Rebbecca saw the four, with a mean look. Well, she was in time to see Ash's pneumonia-like sick crossover on Diego.

"And here's the clincher." When the video of Ash's crossover was seen, not even Misty could bear to ponder, where Ash's athletic skills jumped out from. It was like, he knew the game, for a long time.

"Micheal Jordan, eat your heart out," Trina mumbled in disbelief. That's when T.K. sensed something, and turned to where Rebbecca was standing, arms folded in front...in the shadow. When Joshua held his PSP to her, Rebbecca was wearing a mask...a mantis mask, to be exact. She must have known about Misty's entomophobia, because, on sight, Misty screamed in terror, and scaled an adjacent tree, like lightning fast. All four jumped in fright, but nowhere as close, as Misty's jump. Yolei and Ken groveled in disarray, because of Rebbecca's scare tactic. To Yolei, it was like the soon-to-be MIT student got wind of the redhead's phobias.

"I wonder how that brat knew about Misty's fear of bugs," she gritted with a twitching eye. Wormmon listened to her rant, rather understanding the Ceruliean mermaid's weakness.

"That would explain why you wanted me in In-Training form," it mumbled. Togepi patted Wormmon in the head, telling it that its still a good Digimon to have fun with. Ken, on the other hand, was wondering about the mantis mask, Rebbecca had. Any good reason?

"I'm more interested in where she obtained that mantis mask," he motioned. "They're very rare to find." That _was_ interesting. Even more, was that Ash and Kari's kiss wasn't broken up, by Misty's shriek. Those two were in love, and not even a scream in the night was going to stop it. The next morning, everyone was out at Central Park. The residents of the Pokémon world, and the Digidestined, as well as the creatures, were having a great time, even Gatomon. The kids were playing football, taking photos, enjoying lunch...were those Johnsonville brats, Matt was grilling? Guess Wisconsin tastes have gone nationwide. Everyone was enjoying themselves, even Ash, who still kept his journal. In fact, he was writing in it.

AUGUST 18-EVERYTHING IS BACK TO NORMAL. MY DEMON MARK IS GONE, KARI'S BACK, AND ALL I NEED TO DO, IS GET BACK HOME, ONTO THE SINNOH REGION. IT WAS QUITE AN ADVENTURE, WITH SOME CLOSE CALLS. STILL, IF I KNEW ABOUT GIOVANNI, BEING MY FATHER, BEFOREHAND, I WISHED THAT THERE WAS A WAY, TERMS WERE ADJUSTED. HOWEVER, RIGHT NOW, I'M ENDING MY TIME WITH THE JOURNAL. NO MORE ENEMIES, NO MORE NIGHTMARES, JUST ME AND KARI, THE NEXT PILLAR TO RAINBELLIAN, AND MY FUTURE WIFE.

"Head's up," Davis shouted as the football whizzed toward Ash. Hearing the upcoming danger, Ash looked up, spotting the pigskin in the air. Ash, let's see your Randy Moss impersonation. He closed the book, put it to the side, and got his hands ready to catch. Caught...Touchdown! Ash, with the one-handed, out-of-reach snag, reeled in the football, that would make Urban Meyer recruit him. Davis ran over, seeing Ash with the football in hand. He was proud of Ash's awareness. "Nice catch, dude." Ash tossed the ball back at Davis. The toss had a nice spiral. Davis caught the toss, and thought Ash, with his superb sporting skills, could have a round of gridiron action. "Come on, have a ball with us." Ash needed to get up, and move around, and a good game of football seemed to be perfect for it.

"I don't see why not," he chuckled. He and Davis ran to where some of the other kids, like Diego, Kimberly, Joshua, and Travis, people from Rucker Park. They were more amazed at who was the quarterback for Davis's team, and it was him, nor human. It was Misty's Golduck. Ash was directed to the snapper position: center. Also playing, was Duplica's Dit-ton, transformed as a giant Togepi. Misty watched, disbelieving the truth, that the Golduck was her Psyduck. Breaking from huddles, both sides lined up, at the line of scrimmage, where the ball was resting. Golduck pointed to the receivers, like it was directing traffic, at the nearby intersections. It got behind Ash, ready to get the ball. Quacking the signals, Golduck acted like an actual quarterback. Finally, Ash snapped the ball, causing some of the kids to run out, for the pass, and others, to rush at, or protect Golduck. Ash and Travis tried to block Dit-ton and Joshua, from getting to Golduck. Their efforts were nearly in vain. Dit-ton knocked Travis to his back, and pursued Golduck. Diving for the sack, Dit-ton felt that it got it's job done. Golduck must have taken a playbook from Vince Young, because it scrambled underneath the transforming Pokémon's dive, and got the football ready for the pass. Davis, using his soccer skills, was outmaneuvering T.K., trying to get open. Seeing the receiver open, Golduck fired the football, into the sky...and over everyone. Golduck, good for Pokémon battles, not for football. He had agility of Young, but also, the arm strength of Brett Favre...times three. Now, who was in disbelief? Everyone.

"Aaron Rodgers should take that backseat to another part of the field," Travis laughed. The football was descending, where a certain blond man caught notice. He back-peddled on trace to get the pass. Suddenly, he got his feet tangled, and fell to the grass, as the ball was falling toward him. The ball bounced off his shoulder blade. Turning, he spotted the football, and caught it, before it hit the ground. Taking a breather, he was surprised to see the ball...no, more like it was a situation, he saw.

"At least, I didn't have Dishman to worry about," he chuckled. Rally got to the blond...Peter's side, making sure he was good. The catch was better. Sarah, Joshua and Todd got over to the pair, worried that Peter was hurt, but unhinged in excitement.

"That was a remarkable reception," Sarah cheered. Peter got up, and tossed the ball back to Joshua. Even he was amazed.

"I gotta say, if Sherman was around, he would've wanted to give me praise." Sherman who? Joshua had an idea of who Peter was talking about.

"Packers' head coach Mike Sherman," he proudly answered. Peter nodded. Rally had shaken her head at the two sport savvy boys. It was typical, while Peter pulled out his PSP. "Don't tell me, you've got a sports highlight, yourself." He nodded again.

"Too bad, it wasn't my buzzer beaters, I recorded. I have that Packers clip." He highlighted a snapshot with a title, that read, "He Did What?" For those who didn't see the Minnesota/Green Bay game in 2000, what you'd be reading is what was said by commentator Al Michaels as the group saw the clip.

"Favre, lays it up for Freeman, and it's incomplete," he called before a pause, with a cheer...and a surprise for Michaels. "Or did he make the catch at the 15? What are they gonna rule it, he caught it? Touchdown!" Todd had a double take at that clip, especially the catch. Michaels couldn't say a better line than... "He did what?!"

"Unreal," Todd awed. "And I thought, catching an Articuno was really tough. Freeman...off his shoulder blade, on his back, impossible catch..."

"Not to mention, untouched," Peter finished. "I'm never forgetting this moment." Joshua and Sarah nodded. Joshua was wondering why the Wisconsinite and the bounty hunter were at Central park, just as Kari and Ash came to the scene, wondering where the football was. Hearing them coming, Peter saw the two, happy enough. "Ash, hey."

"Rally, Peter, what's up?" Ash greeted. Rally wanted to speak. She had something to say.

"Well, our time here," she sighed. Oh, Rally and May were going back to Chicago, and Peter would be traveling back to Wisconsin. Ash understood her, knowing that they would be going separate ways. Then, Rally had an even bigger surprise in store. "Besides, I've got my gift." She placed her hand on Peter's shoulder...Peter, wasn't going back to Wisconsin? Did this mean...?

"I've been claimed," he noted, with a hand in the air. So, Peter and Rally were going to be together. That ought to be an interesting relationship. "Maybe, I can break their cycles of Chinese foods and pizza." Picky eaters? Even Kari was a little disappointed. That's when she remembered the barbecue...and the brats.

"Why don't you two have some hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats?" she offered. Music to Peter's ears. Wisconsinites and brats tend to go hand-in-hand. Joining the rest, it was a real party. For a while, it was all fun and games, even for Rally. Then, Kari had an announcement. It was her time. "Guys, I want to say something." Everyone looked at Kari. Here it came. "I heard that some of you had visited RainBellian, in search for me. A few of you, actually traveled alongside, and even heard the stories. Well, I have been chosen to take over the ruling of RainBellian. I'm gonna leave you all, for good." Everyone couldn't believe it...well, everyone that wasn't at the birthday reunion. "Before I do, I'm gonna take a trip with Ash, around the Sinnoh region. As soon as I take the throne in RainBellian, I won't see any of you, again." A silence filled the air. No one could make a comeback. Instead, Tai walked up, and hugged his sister, probably, for the last time.

"You've grown up, so fast, sis," he muttered in sadness. "I wish, that there was a way, I could prevent that. I think I say it for everyone here, good luck with your missions." The party people acknowledged Tai's words of encouragement. Suddenly, a rainbow emerged from thin air. To Ash, Duplica, Todd, T.K., and the other people from the Pokémon worlders, it was time to go.

"This is it," Calista pointed out. Everyone began to wave goodbye to Kari, Ash and the rest. RainBellian was their next destination as they entered the rainbow. Once entered, the rainbow vanished. What would become of Ash and Kari, and the rest of the story?

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED...

* * *

_Present day, Chicago, Illinois (Gunsmith Cats shop)_

BILL COLLINS: "So, let me get this straight, Pussycat. You and Peter are married?"

RALLY: "That's right. At least, he helps with maintenance and making sure our Class-3 licenses are updated."

MAY: "Besides, he is a fabulous cook. You should try his twice baked omelet potatoes."

BILL: "That sounds like mixing water and oil, and drinking it. It doesn't sound good. By the way, ATF got wind of a heroin distribution ring, between here and Milwaukee, and we were wondering about asking for your help. This time, we're willing to offer 40-K for this operation. It might work, with fixing this place up."

RALLY: "The store's fine. Besides, I doubt, we need that much money." (PETER enters shop/RALLY see PETER) "Hey hon."

PETER: "What's up?" (see BILL) "Det. Collins, what brings you here? Another attempt to shut this place down?"

BILL: "If only. By the way, Peter, when I have kids, could you tell them about your story about Ash and Kari?"

PETER: "Of course." (/RALLY, MAY, PETER in car, driving toward Wisconsin border) 'Ash, Kari, if you only saw how we've been, since we met you.'

* * *

_Present day, Momosutki, Japan (Momosutki Academy)_

HIMEKO (The spaz): "That was an omega cool story, Becky. I didn't know, you ran into someone like him."

KURUMI (Boring girl): "You have to admit, it's really cute to run into a couple, enjoying their birthdays, right Becky?"

REBBECCA/BECKY: "Hey, I just wanted to make sure, those two weren't gonna do anything illegal."

MIYAKO (The bookworm): "Look who's talking? You barged in, when they're just gonna kiss."

BECKY: "It was out of everyone's safety. Then again, what Ash did, in that b-ball game, even had me interested in this sport, and it's really hard to convince me on something like that."

SIYAKA/NO. 6 (Good girl): "Did you get a copy of the performance?" (BECKY show DVD)

REI (The heather): "This ought to be good..." (ICHIJO Class-rep stands up/BECKY see ICHIJO)

BECKY: "What is it, Miss Ichijo?"

ICHIJO: "Are you going to use that game, in any lessons?"

BECKY: "I never really thought about it, but I think I can make a test on it. Thanks for that suggestion, Class-rep!" (students groan)

MESOUSA (Bunny): Well, while they're getting ready for that test, I should get myself prepared for the final chapter, and the final segment of the trilogy, coming soon." (exits)


	17. Forever Crowning Achievements?

_Chapter 17/Final: Forever Crowning Achievements_

_(Ash's POV)_

Well, here we were again. Back in RainBellian. Kari, Todd, Misty, Duplica, Princess Sarah, Calista, T.K. and I got through the portal, from New York, and made it to RainBellian's North Pole, where Prince Ravors and Princess Crystal were resting in peace, buried beneath the earth. But, this wasn't about the late princess. Instead, it was about the soon-to-be princess: Kari. We traveled up the staircase, to the castle. It was the same castle, we fought Godal, the cosmic dragon. Now, there was no threat on the horizon. Just a choice for Kari, whether or not, she was ready to accept the role as the new pillar. "So, this is the castle of the pillar?" Sarah questioned. This was the first time she and Calista have been here, so they were feeling pretty uneasy. It was understandable.

"Nothing like home, at the Mirage Kingdom, don't you think?" Misty joked. Of course, Duplica, Calista, and Todd hadn't been to there, either. I could brag, if I wanted to, about being in almost every place possible, but then, people would think of me as a global traveler, not a Pokémon trainer. Anyway, Sarah acknowledged the differences, and nodded. Soon enough, we had reached the castle doors. T.K. and I stepped forward, and opened the doors. We entered, with Todd holding his camera, ready to shoot the first thing he'd like to remember. We arrived, soon enough, at the throne room. There, the tiara was resting on the royal seat. It was the illuminating tiara. The Forever Crown.

"There it is," T.K. motioned. The crown, worn by Crystal, awaiting the new chosen. Kari stepped forward. Wait...I thought she wanted to go with me, to the Pokémon World...to Sinnoh. Suddenly, flashes of light shone through the room. Too bright! Okay, the shine was dimming. Let me see...Oh, boy...The guardians of RainBellian appeared. This should be interesting.

"Welcome back, Kari, maiden of the light," Ergaia greeted. "It's a wonderful feeling to see you, in good shape." Kari nodded to the acknowledgment. Ergaia, Holion, Aquos, and Windalyr...the four guardians, that watched over this world, even after their passings. So, why have they shown up, here in the North Pole? Swinging a nod over to T.K. and Misty, we stepped forward, letting the guardians know that we were here, with Kari. Sarah and Calista, obviously, were a bit hindered in the nerves.

"What in the world are they?" Calista asked, while shivering uncontrollably. Luckily, Todd and Duplica were prepared to assist us. Then again, so were Gatomon and Patamon. They were here, a heck of a lot longer.

"They're the guardians of this world," Gatomon answered. "The redhead spirit is Aquos of the Sea. The blond is Windalyr of the Sky. The brunette is Holion of the Heavens, and the raven-haired is Ergaia of the Earth." Thanks, Gatomon, I couldn't have said it better myself.

"They were great guardians, before a wizard turned them into mythical dragons," Patamon added. "They protected RainBellian, until they died, and their fragments were scattered. Those four became the possessors of those fragments. Right now, there's no fragment, but a crown to be decided." Yeah, and to see if she was left no choice, but to wear the crown. Holion seemed to notice an uneasy feeling on Kari, but what? She proceeded to ask.

"Kari, by Princess Crystal's late message, you were chosen to become the next pillar of RainBellian," she stated the obvious. "However, you can choose to wait, and keep the crown preserved." Oh, so she can go with me. This was great news. "However..." Oops. Spoke too soon. "By preserving the Forever Crown, the time, RainBellian's stability without a crown, will be dashed by half." Maybe not. By requesting that she would become the RainBellian pillar, in a later time, the world would last a mere 11 ½ years. So, Kari could take her time, although, not as much as before, and join others for various journeys.

"I think, the next time I come here, it'll be permanent," she announced. "I want to make a journey through the Pokémon world, before I decide to be the next ruler of RainBellian." So, that was it. Her decision, may have shortened the lifespan of a pillar-less world, but her promise to be the pillar was sealed in memory. But, something jumped into my head. What if...I might, as well, ask.

"Ergaia?" I called out. "I'm well aware about what could happen, if the pillar of RainBellian is not there, when the no-pillar time expires. I was wondering, what happens to our worlds, in case of that. Do they suffer the same fate, as here?" The guardians seemed concerned. Even though, Kari's been given an enormous window, over 11 years, the thought of the adjoining worlds never crossed their minds...or maybe they had, but didn't like the turnout. It...it couldn't be...

"The adjoining worlds will not be in any danger," Aquos convinced. "However, anyone, who has stepped in this world, will perish, and all records of their existence will be erased." Gulp! I could die, and none of my winnings will be remembered? That's not a pleasant thing to think about. Misty turned to me, wearing a sinister smirk.

"Looks like you're responsible for Kari's safety, Ash," she sneered. I get it, I get it. You don't need to rub it in. Some women...what can you do with them? So, with the notice that the Forever Crown would be kept safe, we departed from the castle. Our next destination: Reda, and to the southern section, where the private yacht was located, south of Violet Village. Here was the big issue: there were eight of us, humans, two Digimon, and, from the best of my knowledge, Misty had a Garydos, but how many people could it transport, at one time?

"So, all we need to do, is crossover this ocean, and get to Reda," T.K. pointed to another obvious tip. Can we get across, without a problem? "Pegasusmon and Nefertimon would be able to fly us across, but they can only carry two, at a time. Plus, I bet Misty has her Garydos, right?" Misty nodded. So, she did bring that sea serpent Pokémon, along. "At most, that's six." Suddenly, my mind drifted to Duplica, and her...of course, her Dittos. Her original Ditto could take on any shape, it wanted, and her giant transformer, Dit-ton, would turn into a giant of a small to medium sized Pokémon. I had to address him, now.

"You forgot a couple others," I voiced. T.K., and the rest, peered my way, while I had a huge grin on my grill. "Duplica's Dittos." Now, everyone eyed Duplica. Maybe, putting her in the spotlight wasn't such a bright idea. However, Duplica seemed to have gotten the message. She had the last available rides, and all she had to do, was give the command, "Transform!" "That should take care of the rest." Agreements, all around, we got set. It was a while, since I saw Gatomon as Nefertimon. Kari was ready. She pulled out her D-terminal and pink-handled D3.

"I bet Gatomon needs to stretch out," she issued. Looked like Kari was ready, and so was Gatomon, because she was glowing. "Digi-Armor Energize!"

"Gatomon, Armor Digivolve to...Nefertimon, the angel of light!" was the roar. Gatomon morphed into that same illuminating white sphinx-like creature, with the angel wings on her back. That same head dress, that human-like face and those cat-like paws. "Man, it feels great to be back in this form. Though, I'd feel better, if I could digivolve to Angewomon." Kari chose Nefertimon, so deal with it. Now, it was T.K. and Patamon's turn.

"Digi-Armor Energize!" T.K. summoned. Patamon was shining brightly.

"Patamon, Armor Digivolve to...Pegasusmon, flying hope!" was the call. Finally, Patamon formed into Pegasusmon. So the digitized rides were ready. How about...

"Garydos, I choose you!" Misty called as she threw her Pokéball. When that Pokéball opened, it released the giant blue sea snake, with the wide mouth. Seeing the three arriving creatures, Sarah and Calista were in awe. I believed, they were more awed at the Digimon, than the Garydos, and I couldn't argue. In the meantime, Duplica released her Ditto and Dit-ton.

"Alright, Dit-ton, Transform!" she ordered. Dit-ton did just that. It transformed into Garydos. There was one significant problem: Both Garydos looked exactly alike. No size difference. Did Dit-ton learn to control its sizes with the Pokémon? Didn't really matter to Duplica. She was ready to have her main Ditto transform. "You too, Ditto. Transform!" Well, Ditto did so, but...it transformed into Nefertimon. It still liked to transform into the Digimon, despite Duplica's request to knock it off.

"Hey, I like being a Digimon, once in a while," it protested. "Give me a break!" Maybe, bringing Duplica and her Dittos here and New York wasn't such a good idea. Misty, Sarah, Calista, and Kari were flabbergasted. It was their first time, that they were able to see Ditto change into a Digimon.

"Okay, now I've seen everything," Calista murmured. While there's no such thing as "seeing everything," I did understand where she was coming from. Give them a minute to get themselves collected. Soon enough, we all departed from the North Pole. For, at least, two of us, it won't be the last time. Kari and I, behind her, rode on Nefertimon, T.K. and Misty rode on Pegasusmon, Todd and Duplica rid Garydos, and Sarah and Calista hopped on Ditto. Dit-ton had my Pikachu, Baltoy, and Sarah's Togepi, on it. We rode across the water, anxious to get to Reda. Along the way, Misty was curious about something, when she looked toward Calista. I was aware that she hadn't met Calista. Heck, neither did Max, May and Brock.

"Say, Ash," she called out. "How did you and Calista meet?" Typical. One girl, wanting to know another girl. Oh, well, it wasn't like we had a date. Then we would see something like a Kiri-shipping in the Fanfiction website.

"Didn't you two meet in the Kiri Kiri Mountains?" T.K. pointed out. Great. He just revealed part of the story. Might as well spill it.

"It was after the first journey through RainBellian," I started. "May, Max, Brock and I reached those Kiri Kiri Mountains, where we got caught up in that fog, and separated. That's when I heard someone singing about 'Baltoy's Path.' Little did I realize, that it was Calista, about 20 years in the future, would you say?"

"No, more like 30 years," Calista corrected me. Not caring about the two Calistas story, Kari was more interested in that song, and she was going to tell me.

"How does 'Baltoy's Path' go?" she wondered. Well, I don't have a decent knack for singing. I still wanted to give singing a shot.

"I think I still remember the lines," I believed. Here I went. "Listen, listen to what I say," I sang. "Pass, pass on through, as you travel Baltoy's path. Go on ahead, will you ever make it back. Though, you may be afraid to pass on through. Pass, pass you must, Baltoy's path waits for you. Pass, pass on through on Baltoy's path." Hey, that wasn't half bad. Guess I could sing pretty well. How did the others think of the performance?

"Bravo, bravo!" Ditto applauded. I' ll take that as good.

"Well, I know who to count on, the next time I have a singing block," T.K. entrusted on me. Okay, that was another positive review.

"Ash, your a man of many talents, I'll give you that," Duplica acknowledged. "You've got me beaten with vocals." Wouldn't you feel ashamed, if you, boys, were able to sing better than your girls?

"I can't believe he actually remembered the whole song," Calista awed. "When I was with Ash and my older self, that last word was interrupted by something or another. So, for him to recite the song, perfectly, is amazing." That was amazing. Nah, it only made sense, with the song title. Well, we saw land. It was Reda.

"We're here!" Misty cheered. There was a small line of trees, not even a football field long, from where we made our approach. Hey, at least Todd, Duplica and the Pokémon won't have a hard time, getting through. That wasn't the only surprise. There were five horses, and a woman with wavy blood red hair in a gown. D.S., Blaze Hoof, and three others: one brown, one yellow, and one white. T.K. and Kari saw the brown and white horses, happy to see them, once again.

"Snowfight!" T.K. called out. The white horse neighed wildly, hearing the blond, call out.

"Dirtpit!" Kari yelled. The brown horse neighed, too, at Kari's call out. Sarah and Calista were rather suspicious of the new redhead. Misty, as well. I thought, that they believed that she was Jessie of Team Rocket. Well, I mean, I haven't heard anything from that troupe for quite a long time. However, I believed that redhead, was someone else, not Jessie. As we touched Reda land, three of the horses, Dirtpit, Blaze Hoof and Snowfight galloped to Misty, T.K., and Kari, while I walked up to the other redhead.

"Is there something going on, Jerri?" I questioned. That's right. I believed that this was Jerri, who was from Pinkville, also on Reda. She nodded.

"I was on my way to Violet Village, when I heard from Yvonne, that an armored machine was roaming around the continent," she proclaimed. That's not good news. If it was, what the girls suspected, then we would have a problem. At least, to my knowledge, they stopped on suspecting Jerri for any wrongdoing. "The machine had a big cannon, that pivots over the machine, and the divots, it leaves behind, were rectangular-shaped, marking left-to-right. Plus, there was a giant red 'R' on the front, as far as I've studied." I was gritting, now. Team Rocket was here, and they're causing trouble to RainBellian. Todd and Duplica arrived, along with the Pokémon. We needed to find Team Rocket, and tell them about the death of Giovanni, their president of the organization, and my father.

"Well, it looks like-" T.K. tried to speak, but my anger snapped, like I knew what he was going to say.

"I know, I know," I growled. "We need to get going." Without a second thought, the original four of us got on our horses. In addition, Calista hopped on D.S., with me, Todd jumped on Misty's horse, Sarah boarded with T.K., and Duplica got on with Kari, as well as the creatures, too. The five horses raced, like it was the Preakness. Don't ask, I may have spent too much time in New York. Anyway, at Violet Village, people were panicking, as a green tank started to roll toward the village. And low and behold, there was that red "R" on the front. The villagers were running in their state of fear, wanting to run from the tank. In a sudden act of bravery, Yvonne stepped out, confronting the tank. Give that girl, commendations for facing this troubling image, heading her way.

"What is it, that you want?!" she shouted. Her response: the turret turned to where she was standing. No...they wouldn't.

"We just want to know, where the twerps are," gloated Jessie, in the tank. "Just tell us, and we'll leave your town alone." They wanted to know, where I was. Terrific. Looked like I needed to keep Pikachu safe.

"I haven't heard from them, since they went in different directions. Look, I don't want trouble." That was a cue, and believe me, when the word, "trouble," is spoken, Jessie and James, and Meowth, go into their motto.

"Well, since you brought it up, yourself, you don't have a choice, but to prepare for trouble."

"Your point in resisting has made it double," James added, and no, it wasn't Peter's younger brother.

"An evil, as old, as the galaxy..."

"...Sent here to fulfill our destiny!" Now, if I remembered correctly, Meowth should pop in soon.

"Meowth, that includes me," he cheered. Now, on with the motto, as we all made it to the scene.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love..," applied Jessie.

"To extend our reaches to the stars above," added James. That's when they made their appearances from the tank.

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"And Meowth are the names," the cat introduced.

"Whenever there's peace in the universe," Jessie continued.

"Team Rocket..." James said.

"...Will be there," Meowth spoke.

Finally, in unison, they shouted, "To make matters worse!" Then, a blue punching bag-like creature emerged, shouting "Wobuffet," and a mini cute clown creature, playfully going, "Mime mime." That was Team Rocket. Yvonne didn't care about them. She cared about the people. She would be needing help.

"I don't care, if you're a defensive troupe," she hollered. "Get that...that monstrosity out of here!" This was Team Rocket,Yvonne. They're not going to leave like that.

"All we want, is the twerp, with the Pikachu," James tried to clarify. Yep, they wanted me, and Pikachu. Still, Yvonne tried to remain defiant. She gritted her teeth, knowing that she could die by that cannon or the tank treads...wait, what am I thinking? Those guys wouldn't try to kill anybody. Still, the village was in danger, and it was all of us, to think of something.

"Well, they want me," I noted. Let me explain: when I, first, met Team Rocket, they were after rare Pokémon, at the center in Viridian City. When Pikachu helped me blast them off, they were interested in my little friend. They've followed me everywhere...scratch that, they didn't really follow me, into New York City. I think, they would've been killed, if Rally saw them, trying to take Pikachu. Wonder how she and Peter are doing?

"That's a no-brainer," Misty shuddered. "And, was it necessary for such a cheesy entry, with a military tank?" Well, they have made even cheesier entrances, but I won't bother with details. That's when I heard T.K. and Duplica snickering. It appeared that they had a sinister plan, and even the Dittos were fidgeting. How do you make bubblegum shaped copiers fidget? Somehow, I didn't like how it was coming down. Rebbecca, I might need some insight, with these two.

"What's with you two?" Kari questioned. That's when the snickering duo, gave menacing glares at us, including glowing eyes. Gulp! "Why are you looking at us, like that?" I thought the InfiniDevil was bad enough.

"Shall we prepare for the wedding, Duplica?" T.K. glaringly grinned. Wedding? We're only 15 and 14. What about a wedding?

"Oh, yeah," Duplica agreed. We might need new pants. I think they're scaring the waste out of us. Even Misty was scared straight, and it would take a lot to get her to shake from her nerves.

"I think, my fear of bugs, might not be as bad as before," she stuttered. I'm in peril. Meanwhile, Yvonne was starting to crack, under the pressure of Team Rocket's demands. How?

"Alright, they told me that they were in the South Pole, saying that there was a lead," she admitted. "You happy, now?" Team Rocket appeared to be satisfied.

"That's more like it," Jessie smiled. "I guess, we should get going." Meowth and James agreed. They were ready to go look for us, down in the South Pole. That option would not be executed. James turned to the open area, where he saw a huge...HUGE white cake. The cake, stacked five layers high, if layers were five feet high, each, was fitted with streamers, bows, confetti and ribbons. Now, don't bother asking me, or anyone else, about how we got this five-layered cake.

"Please turn to your left, for the sight of a lifetime," he addressed. Jessie and Meowth turned to the huge cake, jaw-dropping in awe, at the size. Hey, can you blame them? They walked off the tank, and approached the big dessert. As they got closer to the cake, they saw five girls, dressed like nuns, or church choir girls, you take a guess. Little did they know, was that Jessie and Jerri were very close to each other, as well, nobody was aware about the hooded captain of the yacht. That's right, Jerri, Sarah, Calista, Misty and Duplica were gowned in black robes and nun hats, humming like they were praying. To Team Rocket, entertainment was getting them, more and more hooked.

"I wonder how much, something like this costs." My guess would be around 50-75,000 dollars. That's when T.K., in a black robe and carrying a bible, stepped forward, and in front of the Rockets. Meowth and T.K. have known each other, so it was a surprise that Meowth didn't recognize the blond. Well, he peeked up to the top, where there was a young girl, wearing a lovely bridal gown, fitted with shimmering white gloves, white stilettos, and a white veil, covering her face, as she held a bouquet of flowers. The other one was in a full white tuxedo suit, with white loafers, white top hat, and a monocle. Guess who it was? It was me and Kari. Look, don't ask about how we got everything set up so fast, or how we all managed to work our plans, in a snap. T.K. opened up the bible. Duplica's operation was underway.

"Dearly beloved, we have gathered here, to unite two young people, in true harmony and wed full matrimony," he recited. "May these children, under the watchful eyes of the guardians, high and above, be protected as their love guides them to eternal happiness." You got to admit, the suspense was getting good, and I was enjoying it. Who knew? "Will you take the bride, as your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, until death, do you part?" Hello, this was Kari, my love. Yeah, I still had to follow the plan.

"I do," I answered.

"And will you take the groom, to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, until death, do you part?" Team Rocket, other than Meowth, had no idea who Kari was. Well, soon enough, they will. Right now, it would start with her voice.

"I do," she answered. Now, came the time for a bust.

"These two have committed themselves, as husband and wife, and the gods above have accepted their pleas for happiness. Anyone who has probable cause, of why these two cannot be together, speak now or forever hold your peace." Well, no one proclaimed anything wrong. Then again, our faces were covered. "If there are any final words from the newlywed couple, speak now." You got to love what we did.

"Prepare for trouble, for falling into our trap," I started.

"There's more than double, compared to your little gap," Kari continued. Team Rocket was so caught off-guard, they froze...badly. We leaped from the top of the cake, and landed on the ground, smoothly.

"When evil threatens the galaxy..."

"We get the call of urgency." With that, the girls circled the trio, as T.K. resided with Misty.

"To denounce the goodness of truth, justice, and love."

"To extend our reach, to the heavens above." Yeah, we robbed Team Rocket's motto, re-worded it and added a few extra features. Meowth realized that they were in deep feces.

"We've been tricked," he cried. The girls and T.K. were first, as they tore off their robes, re-emerging in their normal attire.

"Misty," Misty started the merry-go-round of introductions. Next...

"Duplica," Duplica added.

"Calista," Calista called.

"Jerri," Jerri continued.

"Princess Sarah," Sarah proceeded.

"T.K.," T.K. finished. Team Rocket was severely rattled. Here they were, four of the six people, they've encountered, angered and now, ready for payback. Revenge was tasting sweeter than candy canes.

"They must have been lying in wait for us," James figured. "How else were we captured so easily?" Try being _really_ gullible. Still, for them, the bigger surprise was on it's way. Us.

"Well, they did lure us in, hook, line and sinker, I'll give them that much credit," Jessie complimented. That's when Meowth's brain pondered something. T.K. and Misty were here, so he'd suspect something.

"If you two are here," he realized. "Then...that means..." They turned to us, as we wore huge grins. This was excitement to the max.

"About time you figured out the situation, Meowth," Kari sneered. That was when we tore off our formal dresses. Don't worry folks, we were still clothed with our normal attire.

"Ash," I announced as we continued our motto.

"And Kari." While they did the rest of the motto, still with who they had, guess what we did to our version? Everyone got a part in it.

"Whenever peace is shattered in the universe," Misty, Sarah and Jerri played on in unison.

"All of us will be here, there, and everywhere," T.K., Calista and Duplica continued together.

"To remove the curse," Kari and I finished, like the "couple" we were. Surrounded, Team Rocket was afraid to make a certain move. I'd say that this was pretty much textbook.

"Jessie, I believe that we're done for," James shivered. How were they getting out of this? That's when Jerri walked up to Jessie, catching the stunned Rocket and the young Pinkville resident. So, this was what it looked like, with both carbon copy counterparts together.

"What are you suppose to be, the good side of me, gone awry?" That could be a good way to describe the differences. Jerri smirked, like Jessie's rant was nothing.

"Are you saying that I should consult a life of crime?" Jerri mocked. "It's gonna take more than mere reconstruction of my consciousness to revert me." That's for sure. Jessie wanted no more of this. She wanted to get back into the tank.

"James, Meowth, back to the tank!" They had planned to retreat to the tank. T.K. had a little surprise, in store.

"I'm afraid, you don't have that option," he gloated. I never said anything about Pegasusmon and Nefertimon, reverting back to Patamon and Gatomon. Here they came, on the tank.

"Star Shower," Pegasusmon yelled. It fired several stars from it's wings. The stars began to wallop the tank, heavily. Nefertimon was next.

"Rosetta Stone!" it summoned. A pink ray of light shot out of Nefertimon's back, before a large slab of stone was shot out. Dead aim. The stone slammed into the tank. The tank blew up, sending scraps of metal, flying in all directions. So much for military weaponry. In dismay, as big as Texas, Team Rocket was cornered, with no way out. However, leave it to a stubborn Jessie to show little quit.

"You'll pay for that," she growled. "Seviper, Haze!" She threw her Pokéball, and released a violet zig-zag snake-like creature. The snake had a crooked blade as a tail, and it's fangs were blood red, like a vampire, immediately after feasting on its victims. Let's not forget that gold plate over its red eyes. Well, that snake blew out a smoggy screen of smoke. Calista was quick to counter.

"Baltoy, Rapid Spin!" she ordered. Like back on the time machine, Baltoy performed the super fast spin, rotating so fast, people would vomit ten times over. That Rapid Spin was very useful. The hazing smoke was sucked up, and cleared out. Where Baltoy came out from...my lips remained sealed. Jessie was wondering why James hadn't joined in the fight, yet. They did act like a team...demented, perhaps, but a team, nonetheless.

"James, I, sure, could use some help." James looked like the will to battle was lost, when their tank was demolished.

"We're in a different world, surrounded by stronger trainers, and our tank's no more than scrap metal," he listed. Well, T.K. and Kari weren't trainers, per say. "I give up." Jessie and Meowth wanted to slap some sense into their cowardly, but honest teammate.

"Get a hold of yourself, Jimbo," Meowth roared. James had already surrendered, and was ready to be sent packing. Before we provided the ride, I stepped up. I had news for Team Rocket.

"Before you guys blast off, again," I started. "I have some news about your boss, Giovanni. You see, he was my father, and recently...he was killed." James was horrified. Meowth was dumbfounded. Jessie, on the other hand, tried to stay defiant. Girl, get a clue.

"What happened to our employer," Meowth wondered. It was my right to inform them.

"He was skewered in the heart, by an evil person, as a way to deny an offer, your boss invested." James had the best way to act, about my dad's passing. He collapsed to his knees, distraught by the news. He figured that he was, now, unemployed, with the death of Dad, or Giovanni. Jessie had to be the stupidest person in the area. She actually wanted to ignore me.

"I'll tell you, who's gone and who's here," she arrogantly replied. "Seviper, Poison Tail!" Seviper was ordered...but it just stood there...No, wait, it turned to Jessie, and shook it's head, no. "Don't fight my orders, Poison Tail, now!" That snake shook again. It didn't want to fight. Hearing enough from the callous Rocket, Kari decided to take action, but...

"Ash, is it all right, if I expel her?" she asked me. I smiled. I knew what was coming.

"Absolutely," I responded.

"Pikachu, let her have it. Volt Tackle!" Hey, she just acted like me. Pikachu spring boarded from the top of the cake, and dove straight at the obnoxious redhead and Pokémon, in a streaking comet of lightning. On contact...KABLAM! An explosion rocked the land, but Jessie and Meowth were airborne. Have a nice flight.

"This looks like we're out of a job," Jessie complained. Well, with the death of the president, yeah, you'd be unemployed.

"We may also be out of this trilogy, but I still need to talk to the author, and see if I can work a deal," Meowth noted. A deal with the author? I bet he's working on story lines for the final leg of this series.

"What's the title of his last story, 'Tales of Fallen Rockets,' like us?" No, not even close. That's when, in unison, they streaked toward the sun, yelling, "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off once more!" Finally, their true exit, which was fading off as a speck of the horizon. Well, that had taken care of Team Rock-what the heck? James was still here. Why didn't he go with them?

"Uh, dude, weren't they with you?" T.K. wondered. James stood up...and peered at the setting sun. It seemed, to me that his mindset had been reseted.

"I don't care about Jessie or Meowth anymore," he teared out. "Giovanni's gone, Team Rocket's gonna buckle at the loss, and where does that leave me?" Alone? Abandoned? Tell us. "Free." Dude, how many times have you received blows to your head?You say that all that bad stuff, and make it sound like all the access weight was lifted from your shoulders. I missed something. I need to know. "I don't need to rely on others to help me. I need to stand on my two feet, and go, where I deserve to go." Then, he undressed his Rocket shirt, his gloves, and chucked them to the ground, littering Reda...and jerked his head to Pikachu. "Pikachu, I want you to use Thunderbolt on this, and incinerate it." He wanted my Pikachu to torch his uniform? What kind of statement was he making? Pikachu leaped up, and performed the Thunderbolt. It didn't take long, but the uniform was on fire. "To the grave, with Team Rocket, I won't join. To this second, my life of a Rocket has died, joining Giovanni. Pikachu, like I am, you are a free Pokémon." So, that was his statement. Because Team Rocket was after Pikachu for a long while, this nightmare was over.

("Thank you, James,") my Pokémon accepted. That was when the yacht captain walked over to James...wait a second! I know that there was one person, who was outrageously obsessive about James, named Jezebel, who had a similar resemblance to Jessie and Jerri, but she was something out of a horror movie...well, the way she showed her affections for James, that was. But was it, who I thought it was?

"Then, will you join me, back in Rissen Village, James?" she proposed. Wait...Rissen Village? Max said that village was southwest of Fallarbor Town. There was no way, that our yacht captain was Jezebel. When she had taken her hood off, it revealed a young woman with long, tangled dark blond hair, and jasmine green eyes.

"Creepy Jezebel, she's not," Misty observed. Still, who was this Hoenn resident?

"Kate, what are you doing here?" James asked. "What about the villagers, and the Murkrow situation?" What was this? A Murkrow situation? And this Kate? Now, I know I miss something important.

"The villagers are fine, and the Murkrow haven't caused us any any problems, since you've scattered them. I left the village to look for you, and since I heard from Prof. Birch, that you were after Ash and Pikachu, I, recently, rented a yacht and had Ash join me on his way to the Sinnoh region." So, I was some sort of decoy for Kate? Fantastic. "I never expected to end up in this world, see actual thoroughbred horses...and...and Digimon. I wanted to see you, and you alone...because..." I knew where Kate was taking this confession, and Misty and T.K. were holding hands. Kari grasped my hand, too. We saw it coming, and, as a matter of fact, I was going to like this turnout, a lot better than with Jezebel. "...Because I love you." Bingo! James smiled. It was like a call from the heavens, and this girl would be a better person, overall, for James. In a mild, but passionate reply, he hugged the girl.

"I want nothing more, than to be by your side, Kate." Come on, everyone, 3...2...1...Aw! James and Kate, together. Okay, enough stalling. What about Sinnoh?

"Okay, you two," I voiced. "Let's save the real romance for when we get going, all right?" James and Kate turned to me, and nodded. Finally, I could get going, as well as everyone. Suddenly, I heard a shrill...Pikachu's shriek! I turned to the shriek, and saw Pikachu in a net, yanked up by a redhead girl in a black Team Rocket uniform. No!

"Well, James, since you've given up on being a Rocket, I guess, I can take over," she sneered. "And this Pikachu will start a new climb in the organization." How dare she take Pikachu from me. Now, we were all mad at this new girl. That's when something clicked in Misty's mind, about the new girl.

"You wouldn't be, by any chance, Joshua's ex-girlfriend, Jen, would you?" she guessed. Well, this is new. Joshua had an ex, before Trina?

"That loser. What a joke." She laughed maniacally, at the sound of Joshua...he was a great person! How dare she call him a loser. More importantly...

"Give me back Pikachu, right now!" I ordered. Yeah, I was angry at Jen. She callously snickered at the retort.

"Make me!" With that, she stuck her tongue out and pulled her eyelid down, with her free hand. Did I deserve that mock? No. Pikachu tried to launch a Thunderbolt. The net lit up with electricity, but the netting appeared to have absorbed it.

("I need help here!") Typical. Another ploy that involved one of my Pokémon, and Team Rocket trying to get away. Jen grinned her face at my trapped friend.

"Soon enough, Pikachu, you'll be in Giovanni's hands." She didn't know that Giovanni was dead. We were going to let her know.

"Newsflash, Jen, he's passed away," Kate mentioned. Jen shot a surprised look to us. You could say, it was a slap to her face. Mildly denying the news, Jen looked like she knew where to take Pikachu, next.

"Oh, well. Dr. Namba's the next in line. I bet he'd pay me millions for this rare Pokémon." She can't get away with Pikachu. I was in so much anger, I wanted to hurt her, with my bare hands. However, as she laughed again, something was coming to relieve me, and it wasn't coming from the sky. Suddenly, the lands began to shake. Kari and I felt it, and got down to a knee, trying to steady ourselves from this earthquake.

"What's going on?!" Calista shouted. I had a feeling, and if I was right, then, not only would Jen be in trouble, but Misty might be scared out of her wits...again. The quaking did do something to Jen: she fell off the cake and lost her grip on the net, fumbling Pikachu. I wanted to go and save him, but the quake left me without a thing to do, but scream...

"Pikachu!" I yelled out. No! I didn't want to see Pikachu become a pancake. That's when Nefertimon swooped down, and caught the net. Yes! Pikachu's safe. Thanks, Nefertimon. Jen, however, had tumbling trouble. She fell down and off the giant cake, head first, smacking into each layer. Yeah, so what if the cake wasn't real. Talk about a win-win situation for us. That's when three giant worms emerged from beneath the earth. Once risen, they peered at all of us. Misty was freaking out, at the sight of the giant worms. Who could blame her, these things were a lot taller than the "cake." That's when one saw me, and smiled.

"Ash, it's good to see you," the head worm greeted in a deep manly voice. Oh, yeah, I knew those worms. I helped them when they were being controlled.

"Ingo, thanks. We needed that." Ingo, the head worm from Yelkow. The worms were, not only huge, but immune to decapitation. You cut the head, and another will grow. Misty, and T.K., and yes, everyone else was dumbfounded by this. "What are you doing in Reda? Got bored of the soil, over in Yelkow?" Another worm chuckled at that, and it laughed with a Russian accent. That worm was Irma. The other worm had an Austrailian accent. That was Dingo.

"Amusing, but we thought you were in trouble," she proclaimed. Okay, yeah, we did need some help. Thank goodness that they came by. Nefertimon landed by Kari. That, she untangled the net, freeing Pikachu, who hugged her, for that. Well, it was her Digimon, so I can't pose a statement. Jen started to get up, despite any injuries that she may have suffered from. I've heard of tough girls, but I had to give kudos to her endurance...but not for long. Duplica, Sarah, Misty, Calista, Jerri, and Yvonne got to Jen. They were mad at this uncaring individual. She broke up with Joshua for a reason that, if I heard about, might be stupid, joined an organization, not worrying about a collapse, and trying to take Pikachu without a plan. She was going to understand...excessive pain.

"My father said that I have a decent cross," Sarah gloated. Jen's cocky attitude must have been drained. She was rather scared.

"Please, understand," Jen began to plea. "I was only following orders. I meant no harm." Yeah, right. You claim that Giovanni told gave you orders, and that you were ahead of plans to go to the next in line, in case of anything happening to Giovanni.

"Yeah, we understand," Calista acknowledged before...the beat down. Kari and I watched as the other girls gave Jen, quite a beating. I would tell them to let up, but she did try to take Pikachu from me. After a minute of pounding, Yvonne and Jerri lifted Jen, bloodied and torn.

"I guess, I can deliver her to Red Town," Jerri offered. "Marian's mother is the continent's federal judge, and we'll testify to her crimes." Right, Marian was May's counterpart, here in RainBellian. I agreed to the idea...with some assistance.

"Hey Dingo," I called up to the worm. "You think you can give Jerri and Jen a ride?"

"You bet, gov," Dingo cheered. It lowered its head, allowing the tied-up Jen and Jerri to board. With that, those three were gone. Let's hope that's the last I see of that bone-headed girl, and I could say double for Joshua, who now has my dad's Persian, and other Pokémon, he had.

"So, this is the warrior-troupe that helped save RainBellian," Irma guessed. On instinct, Sarah, Calista, Duplica, and Yvonne backed off, allowing the worms to see the four. Kari, T.K., and I were calm as steady streams. Misty was very shaky at the sight of the worms. So shaky, she clung on to T.K. There was a fourth huge worm, named Jingo, but he was devoured by Vendetta Masqurn's giant bird.

"How've you guys been dealing with the loss of Jingo?" I questioned. While the other two were puzzled, Ingo knew what I was talking about.

"It's difficult," Ingo answered. I would imagine. "I do admit, even though we've been mighty earthworms of RainBellian, it hasn't been the same without our party animal." So, Jingo was rather a free-spirited worm. No wonder why Ingo was serious, all the time. T.K. and Misty felt that their abandonment was costly. Misty, I can't really blame, but T.K. had little excuse, except for making sure that the rest of the gang, we had, made it to safety.

"I did wish that there was more, that we could've done, than runaway," he apologized.

"Ash told me that you were concerned for your friends, so accusations aren't the issue." Well, we're not looking for anyone to accuse. "By the way, I had received wind that there was some sort of vessel, nearby." The yacht...Kate stepped up, ready to explain that.

"I was taking Ash and friends to a new adventure," she mentioned. That adventure to Sinnoh. Everything in RainBellian and New York was returned to when I arrived there.

"Well then, Ash, and the rest," Irma addressed. "RainBellian wishes you the best of journeys. May the spirit of Princess Crystal, protect you." We appreciate that guys. With that, except for Yvonne, we decided that now, was the time to go, and left. We all got to the yacht, which looked like what it was, before we deserted it. We hopped on, and Kate undocked the boat from the land. So now, there was a bunch of us, heading to the Pokémon world. I had to admit. I never thought that my trip to Sinnoh was this exciting, and I haven't even set foot in it. However, I'll never forget Joshua, Peter, Kimberly, Travis, Trina, Diego, Pat, Rally, May, Rebbecca, and plenty of people, in New York. As the portal opened in the upcoming distance, there was another adventure. That would mean new people to meet, more places to visit, more recipes to taste...sorry, my stomach was talking for me. However, I would going to Sinnoh, with the one person, now holding my hand.

"Ash, do you think, I'll enjoy the Pokémon world?" my love asked. She was worried, though, the tone wasn't of anxiety. She just asked a question.

"Kari," I started. "My world can be one exciting adventure." Little would I realize, soon enough, how big, I would need Kari, in my new adventure...and how she would need me. We entered the portal, exiting RainBellian...and entering a journey, that would change the lives of everyone. For now, I'm happy to find the light in my heart.

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THE END...BUT WAIT FOR THE FINAL PART OF THE TRILOGY "TEST OF FINAL DESTINY." THAT IS ALL THAT I WILL REVEAL.

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